The Wrath and his Slave
by CalimaPraxis
Summary: Artagesh is a tormented Lord of the Sith, and Vette is a former slave who finds herself shanghaied into Artagesh's service, and they're in love. Current Arc: The Wrath and his Slave.
1. Dark Meetings

**This is something I've wanted to work on, and since I'm having trouble coming up with ideas for my other stories, figure I'll write one based on one of my favourite romances in SWTOR.  
** **  
Chapter 1: Dark Meetings**

Vette sat in the cell, waiting for that jerk to return and beat her up some more. She couldn't believe how stupid she'd been, believing what Cada Bliss had told her and her partners about a job on Korriban. How could she be so stupid to think she could get into the tomb of a Sith and _not_ be slaughtered by numerous Acolytes. It was only by sheer _luck_ that she had been caught by a not-quite-so-murderous Sith. Of course, she kinda wished she was dead now.

The Twi'lek fiddled with the collar the jailer had fitted around her neck, careful not to accidentally shock herself. The jerk seemed to have fallen in love with the idea of shocking her into submission; though why should she be surprised? She was in the Sith Academy, probably about to be executed for desecrating the tomb. One thing was for certain though, if she ever got out of there, she _would_ find Bliss and make him pay.

At that moment, the jailer returned, 'Hey, buddy,' Vette called, standing up, 'how are ya? Did you lose weight in the last hour? Or did you gain it? Honestly, I can't tell.'

'For kriff's sake,' the jailer growled, 'one more chirp from you, little bird, and you'll regret it!' Vette inwardly smiled, glad she was getting on her jailer's nerves.

'Chirp, chirp!' Vette was enjoying the look on the jailer's face, but within seconds, the collar activated and Vette shook in pain. 'Jerk,' she mumbled, 'look, you don't like it, smiley, just say so! I _can_ do other animals too; Dire Cat, Frog Dog, Kowakian Monkey-Lizard, c'mon, what'll it be?'

'Quiet!' the Sith yelled, prompting the Twi'lek to shut up. It was at that moment that someone new walked into the room. He was a Zabrak, quite well built, though not the largest Zabrak she'd seen on her travels. As was common in Imperial space, he face was covered inn those weird red and black tattoos. However, she didn't say anything, the ice she was on was thin enough already, and she didn't need a Zabrak Sith beating her senseless. The two Sith started talking and Vette sat down again, and for a split second, the Twi'lek and Zabrak made eye-contact. Vette shivered inwards, she wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the Zabrak's eyes that unsettled her; his eyes weren't filled with the sort of thing that made her comfortable, it was scary, like he had no remorse left for anyone in the galaxy, like the slightest insult would send him on a rampage. That one second of eye-contact was all Vette needed to remain silent, and observe what the Zabrak was doing.

Slowly, but surely, the Zabrak made his way down a row of other prisoners, and one by one he killed or tortured them. Vette watched in disgust and fascination as the Zabrak interrogated each one, only looking away when he had finished what was probably a test. 'You're an interesting one, kid,' the jailer stated as the Zabrak walked back over to him, 'there's no denying that.' It was at that moment when the Zabrak turned to Vette, and her blood ran cold.

'What about her?' his voice was commanding, cold, and terrifying. Was this her fate? Was she destined to die at the hands of a bloodthirsty Sith Acolyte?

'No,' the jailer interrupted, allowing Vette to breathe again, 'Tremel made it clear who you were to interrogate. She's being saved for later,' Vette stopped breathing again when she heard this, 'now return to your master and report your success.' The Zabrak left without uttering a word, and Vette took a deep breath. The jailer turned to her, 'Don't relax yet, slave, chances are you'll be used in another trial. Fact is, it'll keep going 'till you're dead or have outlived your usefulness, so get comfortable,' the jailer laughed and left the room, Vette's heart sank as she realised the gravity of the situation: She was dead already, and there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

Vette must have lost about two kilograms in weight by the time something _truly_ interesting had happened. She had just finished naming every floor tile in her cell when the jailer returned. The Twi'lek looked up and sighed, 'So what glorious torture are you gonna put me through today, smiley?' she asked, only to get another shock, 'OW!' Vette shook her head to remove the spots from her vision, 'give it a rest would ya?'

'I'm just trying to get as much enjoyment as I can out of this, slave,' the jailer chuckled. Right as the jailer mocked the increasingly depressed Twi'lek, the Zabrak entered the room, and Vette's blood ran cold again. 'Heh,' the jailer laughed, 'as if on cue… word is you might become Baras's apprentice, good job if you get it, I'd say you've more than earned it.' The Zabrak turned his attention to Vette, and the Twi'lek had an inward shiver as the Zabrak stared her down.

'You know what my trial is?' the Zabrak asked the jailer, not taking his eyes off of her.

'Yeah, you'll be relieving me of this Twi'lek,' Vette could've sworn that her heart had stopped, 'word of warning, she's a pain in the neck.' The Twi'lek took a deep breath, _just play it cool,_ she thought.

'Who's the pain in the neck?' Vette asked, keeping up her cocky attitude, 'I'm the one wearing a shock collar.'

'Consider that a going-away present, girly,' the jailer said, gesturing towards the Zabrak, 'this bruiser will be taking you into the tombs where we caught you,' Vette inwardly laughed, _so that's what this is about._

'None of you can figure out how to open the secret door, can you?' Vette asked before turning to the Zabrak, 'you got some Sith-y business in that tomb, huh?' The anger in the Zabrak's eyes terrified her, _that was a BIG mistake,_ she thought.

'Jailer,' the Zabrak growled, turning to his fellow Sith, 'I think she needs another shock.'

'Alright then,' searing pain followed as Vette recoiled from the pain.

'Okay! Okay!' she yelled, desperate to stop the pain.

'Here kid,' the jailer handed the controller to the Zabrak, 'I'll set it to a high level,' _Oh God, NO!_ Vette mentally screamed.

'I guess I can play tomb tour guide,' Vette meekly chimed in, 'after all, I got in once, and I can do it again.'

The Zabrak examined the controller, 'I think we need to give this higher setting a test run,' Vette braced for the pain, but still wasn't ready for the new level of agony. The Twi'lek struggled to stay standing as the collar sparked and jolted and she could've sworn she saw the jailer laugh at her suffering.

'Alright!' Vette screamed in agony, 'I'll show you how to get inside the secret chamber! _**And**_ I'll shut up! A real bargain!'

* * *

Vette wasn't sure whether she should loath the Zabrak for the shocking he'd done earlier, or like him for the amount of times he'd saved her life in the tomb. And they hadn't even gotten to the chamber yet! Of course, it was more than likely that the Zabrak was defending her due to her importance in his trial.

Vette had activated the final switch to open the secret door to the chamber, quickly leading the Zabrak inside, doing her best not to make eye-contact with him. She so desperately wanted to ask for his name, but was so certain that speaking up would result in more shocking, or worse, getting stabbed in the gut. The two had only made eye-contact on occasion during their trek through the tomb, and Vette wasn't sure if the Sith liked her or not. Pushing these thoughts to the side, Vette led the Sith into the main chamber.

'Okay, this is it,' she called out, 'just let me get my bearings.' The Twi'lek walked over to the wall to start searching for a secret panel when she saw another Sith, no idea who he was, sneaking up behind the Zabrak. 'Look out!' she yelled, hoping to save the Zabrak. The second she'd yelled out to help him, the Zabrak spun around and kicked the other Sith in the face.

'Vemrin,' he growled, unsheathing his war blade.

'Artagesh,' the other Sith replied, before looking towards Vette, 'you get that door open slave, don't mind us.'

'Do you want to explain what you're doing, Vemrin?' the Zabrak named Artagesh demanded. Vette couldn't help but feel her "master" was drawing out his conversation with the Sith, as if trying to give her instructions. Well, whether he wanted help or not, Vette snuck behind the Sith named Vemrin as he ranted about honour and survival, drawing her blaster and shooting him in the back.

Vemrin screamed in agony, 'you bitch!' he yelled, propelling her into a wall with the Force.

The fight was a blur, with Vette only regaining consciousness at the end, and seeing Artagesh cut Vemrin down. Vette let out a groan, just loud enough to attract the Zabrak's attention, and the Sith walked over to her, offering his hand to help her up. 'Sorry,' Vette mumbled, 'I screwed up.'

'No you didn't,' Artagesh replied, 'you helped me defeat my rival, and did what any non-Sith would do,' was this really the guy who had been electrocuting her for the sake of it? Or had he just been replaced by a nicer doppelgänger.

'Now,' his voice returned to its commanding tone, 'get that door open.'

'Sure,' Vette mumbled, 'I'll get right on it.' The Twi'lek wandered around the room, searching for the right panel to open the door, thinking about the Zabrak Sith. What was his story? Did he enjoy the suffering of others or was that just an act? Whether she liked it or not though, he was her only way off Korriban, and hopefully he wouldn't kill her the first chance he got. Vette found the panel and pressed and the wall in front of her descended. Proud of herself, Vette turned to Artagesh as the wall dropped. 'You're welcome!' she called out.

Artagesh gave her the slightest smile, 'your work is appreciated.'

'Thanks,' Vette replied, 'it's nice to be acknowledged.' As Artagesh headed into the deeper tomb, Vette couldn't help but wonder what this guy was about, and if she could get off the planet if she tagged along with him.

 **Those who have read SWTOR Tales will know about Artagesh, my Sith Warrior. This is a storyline I felt deserved to be its own story, instead of being watered down to a few chapters. Honestly, I ship Vette and the SW BIG TIME. Anyway, Rate and Review! Hope you liked this one!**


	2. The Chat

**Chapter 2: The Chat**

Vette P.O.V.

The Twi'lek walked across the central room of Artagesh's ship, ignoring the frustrating droid as she walked to her post in the engine room and sitting in front of the monitor. She reached up and rubbed the rough skin of her neck, a permanent mark had been left there by the shock collar.

She still couldn't believe how easily she had managed to convince Artagesh to remove the collar. She had remained silent for most of their journey from the Academy on Korriban to the Citadel on Dromund Kaas, not wanting to risk more pain, but she had noticed a strange amount of restraint when Baras's messenger approached them at the spaceport. It took a lot of inner conflict, but Vette had finally talked herself into speaking with the Zabrak.

 _Roughly 27 hours earlier…_

The pair walked into the Kaas City Cantina, with Artagesh leading his slave to a table in the corner.

Artagesh and Vette had just spoken with Baras about interrogating a Republic spy, but Artagesh had insisted that the two of them got a drink before they headed out into the jungle.

Vette wasn't sure if Artagesh was going to bring the subject up himself, but she couldn't take any chances. Artagesh had taken a seat at the table and had started flipping through the drinks menu, but Vette remained standing. _Here we go,_ Vette thought before taking a deep breath, 'Hey, Artagesh,' she called out, attracting the Zabrak's attention.

'Yes, Vette?' he asked, closing the menu.

'I've been thinking,' the twi'lek took another deep breath, 'maybe you wanna take this shock collar off? You know, after my hard work on Korriban?' she knew she had crossed the line and braced for the shock, but was surprised to not receive any pain. The twi'lek opened her eyes to see Artagesh standing directly in front of her.

'You've earned it Vette,' he smiled, reaching for the collar, 'but it's not freedom,' the collar clicked and fell into Artagesh's hand.

'Wait, seriously?' the twi'lek stared at the Zabrak in shock, 'didn't you enjoy shocking me back in the Academy's holding cells?'

'It's hard to explain,' Artagesh replied, 'behave, and I may tell you someday.'

'Right,' Vette replied before sitting down at the table, 'so… what now?'

Artagesh smiled before sitting across the table from her, 'You and me, working together, taking down the galaxy.'

'What?!' Vette asked, slightly shocked, before regaining her composure, 'I mean… of course, me and my buddy the Sith… nobody's gonna pick on me at school.'

'So,' Artagesh quickly replied, changing the subject, 'what will you be getting?'

* * *

Artagesh P.O.V.

Lying on his bed in his quarters, not really trying to sleep, Artagesh mulled over the events of the last few days, specifically, the Twi'lek girl he was now travelling with. The Zabrak had been thinking about the girl ever since they had arrived on Vaiken Spacedock, and he couldn't figure out why. Honestly, it was like the girl had triggered something within him. Something he hadn't felt before and, quite frankly, he kinda liked it.

Thinking about the girl calmed him, and he hadn't felt so relaxed in years. High expectations from your father and being tortured by your mother to get better will do that to you. Vette seemed to bring out a part of his personality he'd figured had been obliterated the moment he picked up a training blade: calm.

He wasn't the bloodthirsty, psychotic, warrior who had arrived on Korriban and slaughtered anyone who got in his way. Ever since Vette made her first, mildly snarky, remark in the holding pens, Artagesh had felt at peace, even if he did initially try to hide it by shocking her. Of course, it had taken him over a day, after leaving Vaiken Spacedock, to finally talk to her, and get a chance to remove the collar that he'd grown to despise.

 _27 hours earlier, Dromund Kaas…_

Artagesh walked the pathways of Kaas City, trying to think of a good place to stop and rest. He couldn't stop at home; even if his father hadn't died he wouldn't welcome him back, he never expected to see him again. Besides, it wasn't the best place to discuss freedom with a slave.

Seeing no other options, Artagesh led the twi'lek into a nearby cantina, one he'd occasionally visit when he used to live in the city, 'This spy business with Baras is annoying,' Artagesh nonchalantly stated, despite really wanting to talk, 'let's get a drink.'

Vette raised an eyebrow, 'Don't we need to do things for Baras?' she asked.

'He can wait half an hour,' Artagesh replied, 'besides, this is cantina has some decent food and drinks. By cantina standards anyway.'

Vette couldn't help but chuckle at Artagesh's comment before nodding, prompting Artagesh to inwardly smile.

Leading the girl to a table in the corner of the room, Artagesh quickly sat down, hiding his embarrassed face behind the menu. There was no point denying it, Artagesh was terrible at talking to girls. _Vette, I don't know what I'm doing, say something,_ he thought as he got very interested in the design of the menu.

'Hey, Artagesh,' Vette called, relieving the Zabrak of a large amount of stress.

'Yes, Vette?' he asked, a little more comfortable. Artagesh could tell Vette was still scared of him, probably worried he'd shock her if she stepped out of line.

'I've been thinking,' she slowly explained, 'maybe you wanna take this shock collar off? You know, after my hard work on Korriban?' Vette panicked and closed her eyes, but Artagesh casually got up and walked over to her. Vette opened her violet eyes and Artagesh was stunned by how beautiful they were. Resisting the urge to keep looking into her eyes, the Zabrak spoke up, deciding to play with her a little bit.

'You've earned it Vette,' he casually replied as he reached for her shackle, 'but it's not freedom,' Artagesh clicked the release and the collar fell into his hand. He stored it away, he'd find a use for it eventually, before noticing the shocked expression on Vette's face.

Artagesh narrowly avoided a question from the twi'lek about his personality on Korriban and the two sat down to eat.

 _Now…_

Sure, they'd only known each other for a few days, but in their short time together, the two had saved each other so many times they had become inseparable. Artagesh stared at the ceiling, thinking about the situation with Baras and the mysterious padawan threatening his network. The warrior had to enter the Dark Temple, a place he had had nightmares about as a child, to help Baras get the information out of the spy he'd been interrogating, and, before he or Vette could make a remark, Baras had given them a ship and ordered them to Balmorra.

Artagesh sighed at the fact he'd have to return to his duties. If he could, he would simply cut all communications, let the ship drift and spend time with the fascinating woman who had set up in the engine room.

It was only when he finally sat up, ready to travel to Balmorra, that he'd noticed Vette was standing in the doorway, giving him an inquisitive look, 'Are you alright, my lord?' she asked, waiting for permission to enter his quarters.

'Vette,' the zabrak laughed at the title the twi'lek had to go by, 'I told you, in private you can simply call me Artagesh. I hate that "my lord" crap.'

'Alright, Artagesh,' she replied in a tone that almost reminded the zabrak of sarcasm, 'is something on your mind?'

'Everything's fine,' Artagesh replied, hating the fact that Baras was no doubt going to call him and question why they hadn't gotten to Balmorra yet, 'can you please set a course for Balmorra?'

'Right away,' Vette replied, hurrying across the room and onto the deck, the sound of the hyperspace jump quickly following.

He wished he could spend more time with her, but business called. He wanted to get to know the girl, and no one, not even a Dark Lord of the Sith, was going to stop him.

 **Sorry if you found the two flashbacks a bit repetitive, I wasn't quite sure how to approach it. Because the romance between Artagesh and Vette is mostly shown in the game I'm going to focus on in-game events and my own ideas, so you won't see much about Tivva and her mother, if at all.**


	3. The Padawan

**A/N I should probably note now that, while this story focuses on Artagesh and Vette, there will be sections that aren't dedicated to their relationship, for example: This chapter will have segments dedicated to Jaesa and Quinn.**

 **Chapter 3: The Apprentice**

Artagesh p.o.v.

From Balmorra to Nar Shaddaa, and Tatooine to Alderaan, Artagesh and Vette had run from one side of the galaxy to the other in search of the mysterious Padawan that threatened Darth Baras's network. Even with the added assistance of Malavai Quinn, Artagesh still had to run the Darth's errands and clear up practically **ANY** mess the Padawan, Jaesa Willsaam, had made while under Jedi Master Nomen Karr.

Artagesh's dance with Master Karr on Hutta had drawn in the Padawan and, using his newfound trust in the light, had convinced Jaesa to become his apprentice. Now, he had a former twi'lek slave, who was more than happy to stick around, a regulations loving captain, and an apprentice who could see one's true self.

After introducing Jaesa to the others as the newest member of his crew, Artagesh couldn't help but notice a pang of jealousy coming from Vette. Though he refused to show these emotions, especially in front of Quinn, Artagesh gave an inward smile as he watched Vette lead Jaesa to her quarters. The Sith Lord must have let his emotions show, as, when the girls had left, Quinn approached the Zabrak with a raised eyebrow.

'My lord,' he called in his usual, monotone, voice, 'I was curious as to what your relationship is with Vette?'

'Why does it bother you?' Artagesh replied, giving the captain an inquisitive look.

'It's just that I like to know the status of relationships involving my superiors,' he explained, 'if you and Vette _**are**_ together I won't object, I'd just like to know.'

'We aren't together Quinn,' Artagesh growled, 'and it's not your place to ask.'

'Apologies, my lord,' Quinn replied, 'I was merely curious.'

'Well be curious at your post,' Artagesh replied, regaining his composure.

'Of course, my lord,' Quinn replied, returning to the bridge.

With his crew off doing their own thing, Artagesh, dragging his feet, practically stumbled into his quarters before throwing himself on the bed, looking for some quiet time before he went to speak with Vette.

* * *

Quinn p.o.v.

'Apologies, my lord,' Quinn replied, 'I was merely curious.'

'Well be curious at your post,' Quinn gave an inward sigh of relief, glad that he hadn't invoked the wrath of Baras's favourite apprentice.

'Of course, my lord,' the captain replied before returning to his post on the bridge. Quinn released a heavy breath, one he didn't know he'd been holding. Slowing his rapid breathing to settle his heart rate, questioning a Sith Lord can do that to you, Quinn turn to one of the terminals to make his report. He was sure to keep out any details he knew the Zabrak wouldn't want there, allowing a smirk to reach his mouth as he thought about their talk.

Despite being an unreadable, semi-violent Zabrak Sith Lord, Artagesh had failed to hide some of his basic feelings from Quinn. Baras's apprentice was, without a doubt, infatuated with Vette, something to note, should the need to immobilize Artagesh ever come around.

As he filed the report, Quinn found himself thinking about the crew. Artagesh was in charge, no doubt about it, and Vette was off-limits when it came to questioning, unless the captain wanted to lose his throat.

Then there was Jaesa, the Zabrak's new apprentice, and supposed Sith loyalist. Though the Zabrak kept his secrets to himself, he had every right to, Quinn found himself wondering about the apprentice, and whether or not her loyalties truly were with the Empire. Before he could think on it more, however, the captain practically felt Jaesa reaching into his soul to see his allegiance. Concentrating harder than he ever had, Quinn managed to hide his suspicions of Jaesa from her, and her "allegiance scan" moved on.

 _I'll have to get used to that,_ Quinn thought, _she must have noticed something._

Refusing to let the apprentice and her loyalties worry him any longer, Quinn returned to the report, filing it under the section he couldn't help but call "The Padawan's Fall." The section detailed everything related to their mission to track down Jaesa, and he couldn't help but give it a fancy name. With the details sorted, Quinn sat down at the console, scanning Imperial frequencies for any relevant news.

* * *

Jaesa p.o.v.

Jaesa followed the twi'lek to the other end of the ship, glancing back at her new master as she went. The twi'lek, whose emotions practically screamed jealousy, for reasons Jaesa couldn't understand, led her to the crew's quarters, 'You'll be sleeping here,' the twi'lek explained, pointing at the bed in the far right corner, 'next to me.'

'Thank you,' Jaesa replied, sitting on the bed. As she settled herself in, Jaesa noticed the twi'lek was shifting her feet, which further supported the fact that she was jealous, and she needed to break the ice somehow.

'So...' the twi'lek sighed, 'I'll leave you to get settled in.' She started to walk out of the room when Jaesa spoke up.

'I'm sorry,' the apprentice called, stopping the twi'lek, 'I never got your name?' The blue-skinned twi'lek turned to Jaesa and smiled.

'My name's Vette,' she explained, 'I've been with Artagesh since his training on Korriban about two months ago.'

Jaesa smiled, 'and you two,' she began, 'are you…'

'NO!' Vette hastily replied, surprising the apprentice. The twi'lek caught onto her outburst and took a deep breath, calming down, 'I mean,' she stuttered, 'not that I wouldn't like to be, I mean, it's just, um…' Jaesa smirked at Vette's stuttering, but quickly understood where the jealousy was coming from. Vette noticed the smirk and glared at her, 'Are you messing with me?' she demanded.

Jaesa shook her head, 'I was curious,' she explained, 'I merely wanted to debunk the thoughts you have about Artagesh's feelings towards me.'  
'What?!' Vette asked, shocked, 'why would I be thinking that?'

'I can sense your feelings, remember?' Jaesa chuckled as the fact returned to Vette's mind, 'Artagesh sees me only as an apprentice, and he took me on to be his apprentice, nothing more. Trust me when I say that he is infatuated with you.' Vette glared at Jaesa before leaving the room, annoyed.

Jaesa sighed as she got down on her knees to meditate and practice her abilities.

No matter who was teaching Jaesa, they would always want her to practice her abilities, and, quite frankly, she agreed with them. If she was going to be seeking out light side Sith for her new master, she would need to hone her skills, and trying it out on the crew would be a good start, 'What would they have to hide, anyway?' she muttered, closing her eyes and reaching out through the Force.

First she reached out to her master's quarters, she sensed calm, peace, happiness, love, just as she expected. Searching the ship for Vette, she found her at her post, sensing aggravation, most likely towards her, fear of entering a relationship with Artagesh, and sadness, for something Jaesa did not know.

Finally, the apprentice turned to the bridge, interested in the captain. It was strange as, for a split second, there appeared to be nothing, then she noticed calm and restrained fear. Was the captain hiding something? She would have to look into it.

Once she was done with the crew, Jaesa spent the next hour reaching out across the stars, searching for any light sided Sith who might be willing to join her cause, occasionally checking to see if Vette or Artagesh had made any advances to the other.

* * *

Vette p.o.v.

Vette knew Jaesa was messing with her, but she couldn't help feeling annoyed.

It was no secret that ever since Artagesh started flirting with her in the Sand Demon's cave on Tatooine, Vette had been slowly falling for him. She wasn't really sure what it was, but Vette just couldn't stop looking at him. He was handsome, smart, and had been doing the right thing ever since they had left Korriban. He still hadn't explained why he'd removed her shock collar and had quickly stopped using it after she'd entered his services. Annoyed, Vette sat at the monitor in silence, hoping for Artagesh to come to her. Then she remembered that the zabrak was kinda slow when it came to talking to her.

Letting out a massive sigh, Vette stood and walked over to the Sith Lord's quarters, lightly knocking on the door. She could've sworn she'd heard a muffled groan as the door opened, 'Can't I get some sleep around here?' the zabrak asked, Jaesa's master must've been tougher than Vette had thought.

'I figured you wanted to talk?' Vette sheepishly replied, letting out an inward laugh as Artagesh immediately jumped up when he realized who it was.

'Sorry Vette,' he hurriedly replied, straightening himself up, 'Uh, what can I do for you?'

Vette laughed, noticing that, despite being asleep for a grand total of thirty minutes, Artagesh was a dishevelled mess, 'I just wanted to talk,' she explained, leaning against the door frame.

'About what?'

'You, me…' Vette pause for a second, 'why you decided to bring along Jaesa…' Artagesh immediately noticed what was going on, smiling as he walked towards the twi'lek.

'Vette,' Artagesh smiled, 'Jaesa is a lovely girl, and incredibly gifted, but she's simply not my type.'

Vette was shocked by Artagesh's statement, 'What makes you think I-'

'It doesn't take a prodigy to know what you're thinking Vette,' the zabrak laughed, placing his hand on the former slave's shoulder, 'and just rest easy knowing that, while I feel the same way, I think we should take it slow.'

Vette wanted the zabrak to just propose right then and there, but she knew it was impractical to marry when they hadn't known each other long enough. Even so, she never wanted him to let go. His hand warmed her, just being near him made her giddy, and he had just admitted to being in love with her. The twi'lek's heart was doing backflips and just looking into his eyes, eyes that radiated compassion, not anger, like they used to, she never wanted to look away.

She couldn't help it anymore. Vette reached out and grasped Artagesh's shoulder, and the two leaned in, letting their lips touch, sending a jolt through the twi'lek.

 **So, yeah, I'm divulging from Vette's companion story a bit. You can't even kiss Vette for the first time until AFTER you've saved her sister.** **Anyway, I appreciate constructive criticism, did you like Jaesa and Quinn's bits? Was it stupid? Let me know with a review and go ahead and rate it while you're at it.**


	4. Separated

**Chapter 4: Separated**

Vette p.o.v.

It was her own fault that she'd decided to stay on the ship with Quinn, instead of suffering the cold wastes of Hoth so she could cuddle up next to Artagesh.

Vette sat on the couch, reading an article on her datapad about slaves in the Outer Rim. Ever since she and Artagesh had rescued her sister Tivva from slavery on Nar Shaddaa, Vette had been scouring the holonet for any signs of where her mother had ended up. She found an incredibly pricy slave, labelled to be the sister of some freighter pilot who had recovered Nok Drayen's fortune, but nothing on her mother.

'I'll need to look into finding Nok,' she muttered, 'maybe I could find out what happened to Risha…'

Despite this, Vette simply didn't have the heart to keep looking. She couldn't stop thinking about Artagesh, and how he had to suffer the cold with Pierce and Jaesa instead of her.

'Damn it,' she growled, realizing one of the main reasons she should have gone, 'I better not find out that Jaesa flirted with Artagesh… or the other way around.' Vette mentally slapped herself, not believing what she was thinking, 'He wouldn't do that. He loves me, he's said so every day.'

Pushing the thoughts aside only brought up something else: Vette didn't explain that she simply didn't want to go to Hoth, she tried to slip out of Artagesh taking her by blaming it on a fake cold. A cold that wasn't so fake now.

Vette let out a sneeze, not bothering to hold it in as Quinn was the only other person on board. When had the ship gotten so cold? The twi'lek was already wearing three layers, and yet she was still freezing.

'Quinn,' she called, 'is the heating on?' Silence followed for a second. _Typical,_ she thought, _either he's checking the logs because he's forgotten, or he wants me to suffer. Has he forgotten that I'm dating a Sith Lord? Who is also his boss?_

Finally, after she could've sworn the room temperature had gone down another two degrees, Quinn walked in, 'Even the orbit of Hoth is notably cold,' he explained in his usual, monotone, voice, 'the heating can make it a bit better but I'd suggest rugging up more. You don't exactly look well.'

'You're the ship's medic,' Vette growled, sneezing three more times, 'can't you do anything about it?'

'All I can suggest for a bad cold is to rug up more,' Quinn replied before pausing. 'How about I make some soup? That always helps.'

Vette looked up at the captain and, for once, was actually relieved to have him with her. She nodded, giving a weak smile.

'Alright. I'll go make some soup, you get some more layers on.' The captain left without uttering another word.

Vette stood up, kind of a bad move as her legs had fallen asleep. Add the fact that the cold was making her legs ache and the twi'lek groaned as she walked across the room into her and Artagesh's quarters.

Vette wrapped herself in an extra two layers, which pushed away the cold slightly, thinking about her boyfriend, and how, if he was here, the two would have snuggled up on the couch, keeping each other warm and watching something on the holonet. The twi'lek had made an extensive list of shows for the two of them to watch while doing that.

Deep in her thoughts, Vette hadn't noticed the captain at the door, holding two cups of soup, until he had cleared his throat, prompting her to look up. 'Thank you, captain,' she smiled, accepting her cup when he'd walked over and sat in a chair across the room. She didn't get it, why wasn't he cold? He was wearing so much less than her, yet he was only slightly shivering. How sick was she?

She took a sip of her soup, relishing the warmth it brought to her, 'Quinn,' she muttered, drawing his attention as he took a sip of his own soup, 'aren't you cold?'

'Yes,' he replied, 'but not majorly, I'll be fine.' This made her worried for her own wellbeing. She was wrapped up in five layers and drinking a cup of warm soup, yet her teeth were still chattering away.

'Quinn, I'm starting to worry about this,' she needed to voice her concerns somehow.

'What are you worried about?'

Vette took a big gulp of the soup. It was refreshing, but she was just getting colder, 'I think there's something wrong with me,' she muttered, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

She didn't remember much more, just Quinn rushing over to her, checking her temperature, and moving her to the medbay, all while she wished that Artagesh would come back, hold her close and tell her everything was going to be alright.

* * *

Artagesh p.o.v.

 _7 days earlier…_

Things hadn't been going very well for Artagesh, Jaesa and Pierce. They had been making decent progress looking for the Jedi Baras wanted dead, but it wasn't to last.

Sure, they had made an unlikely ally in a bloodthirsty Talz named Broonmark, but otherwise, the trio had been navigating the icy wastelands of Hoth for the past week and kept being hit with hardship after hardship.

First, a fire bomb on the frozen lake in the Icefall Plains had sent Jaesa tumbling into the deathly cold water below, slowing their progress by 36 hours as Artagesh and Pierce had to take turns carrying her as they approached Leth Outpost to ensure she didn't immediately die of hypothermia, which included fighting two Wampas when they took shelter in a cave.

Then, while Jaesa was recovering at the Outpost, Artagesh and Pierce went searching for the Jedi at an old camp, only to have to fight a murderous Talz with a vendetta, and THEN they got ambushed by a pack of Pantran Whitefangs, which almost cost Pierce his head, and Artagesh his arm.

This, along with a series of other incidents, and the constant intrusion of White Maw pirates, meant that the three of them were still stuck at Leth Outpost, without any way to contact Baras, Vette, or Quinn.

On the sixth night, Artagesh was lying on one of the Outpost's bunks, wrapped in blankets that the soldiers had insisted that he and his crew used, doing his best to ignore to cold and get some much needed sleep, to no avail.

He couldn't make his brain stop thinking about Vette. For the first time in days, Artagesh was in little danger, was actually on a bed, albeit a slightly uncomfortable one, and instead of sleeping, he was thinking about the girl he loved, who was probably nice and comfy in their bed, concerned for his wellbeing. The thought brought a smile to the zabrak's face, but it didn't help him sleep.

Needing comfort and staring at the bunk above him, Artagesh reached out through the Force, looking for the Fury and its inhabitants. He just needed to make sure she was alright without him. Locating the ship, Artagesh was relieved to find Vette sleeping soundly in their quarters, although he sensed something… odd… about her presence in the Force.

'What's bothering you?' A voice asked from the bunk above him, prompting the zabrak to jump. Jaesa, who had fully recovered from her dip in the ice lake, looked over the side of her bed, a slightly concerned look in her eye.

'Jaesa,' Artagesh sighed, staring at his apprentice, 'shouldn't you be asleep?'

Jaesa smiled at her master's concern, 'It's a bit hard to sleep when the person below me has been sucked into an emotional whirlpool so distracting it's kind of hard to ignore.' Artagesh looked at Jaesa before remembering something about his apprentice: Whenever she couldn't sleep, she'd either read or casually reach out with her powers. As she didn't have her datapad with her, she must have caught on.

'Sorry,' Artagesh sheepishly replied, placing his head back on the pillow, 'just got a lot on my mind.'

Jaesa rolled her eyes, 'You didn't answer my question,' she insisted, 'what's bothering you?'

'Nothing,' the zabrak groaned, 'I just wanted to make sure Vette was okay.'

Jaesa smiled before lying back on her own bunk, 'Well,' she sighed, 'since you're not gonna talk about it, might as well go to sleep.'

'Good idea,' Artagesh replied. It took a while, and a lot of effort, but the zabrak finally managed to fall asleep, dreaming of the woman who made his life whole.

* * *

 _Now…_

Luck was finally on their side. Xerender and Wyellett had been seemingly buried alive in the Starship Graveyard, and, as such, Plan Zero was complete. Returning to Frostwake Outpost with Broonmark, who had agreed to join his team, Artagesh met up with Jaesa and Pierce, who had taken the chance to get some much needed sleep.

'Wake up you two,' Artagesh called, startling the sleeping pair, 'time to get off the frozen rock.'

'Finally,' Pierce groaned, immediately packing his sack, 'if we never have to come here again, it'll be too soon.'

'I've gotta agree with the Lieutenant on this,' Jaesa muttered, 'Hoth is the worst planet we've been to yet.'

'I should also mention that Broonmark will be joining us,' Artagesh stated, prompting Jaesa to trip over a scrapped piece of metal.

'You sure that's wise, my lord?' Pierce asked, eyeing the Talz.

'Don't worry about him,' Artagesh insisted, 'just get to work on organizing some speeders back to Dorn base.'

Pierce, without saying another word, walked off to the speeders to rent one back to the base, occasionally looking back at the Talz. He clearly hadn't forgiven Broonmark for the scar he had given him during their fight.

Once Artagesh, Jaesa and Pierce had sorted their packs, the group prepared to head back to base, when the zabrak heard a familiar voice, which had much more emotion than it usually did, on a nearby holoterminal.

'Listen, please just tell me that Lord Artagesh Orion has been there recently, it's an emergency.' Investigating, Artagesh was shocked to see Quinn, who he hadn't seen in nearly two weeks, practically shouting at the base's commander. Upon closer inspection, Quinn wasn't hiding his emotion like he usually did, he was panicking. Something was seriously wrong.

'Move aside, commander,' Artagesh ordered, walking up to the holoterminal, 'captain, what's the situation?'

'It's good to see you again, my lord,' Quinn hurriedly replied, habitually standing tall, 'but you need to hurry back. It's Vette, she...'

Artagesh held his composure but worry was quickly filling him to the brim, 'Speak, Captain,' he ordered.

'I-' the captain began, taking a deep breath before continuing, 'I think Vette has been infected by the Rakghoul plague.'

 **Please rate and review! There won't be many situations where I leave you on a cliffhanger, but I'll make sure it's worth it when I do :P**


	5. Infected

**Chapter 5: Infected**

Artagesh p.o.v.

Artagesh had never run faster in his entire life. As soon as Quinn told him about Vette's possible infection, the zabrak had jumped on a speeder and rocketed back to Dorn Base, leaving Jaesa, Pierce and Broonmark to try to catch up with the zabrak before he took the only shuttle on the base, leaving them stranded for up to three days.

Luckily, the trio managed to catch up with Artagesh, finding him arguing with a shuttle pilot.

'My lord, I'm afraid it's out of the question,' the pilot shakily explained, 'it will take at least six hours for the shuttle to defrost and refuel. And even then, we have to get clearance to fly back to the station…'

'I don't care!' Artagesh yelled, 'I need to get back to my ship now!'

'I understand your frustration Lord Orion, but it isn't my place to decide,' the pilot cautiously explained, 'you'll need to take it up with the commander, and then wait until the shuttle is ready…'

Beyond frustrated, Artagesh looked at Jaesa and the two used the Force to remove all of the ice from the shuttle, 'I don't care what it hinders, divert all of your fuel rods to the shuttle,' Artagesh ordered, 'I'll speak with the commander.' With nothing else to say, Artagesh stormed off, leaving his crew to deal with the shuttle. It didn't take the zabrak long to notice that Jaesa had followed him, 'Not now, Jaesa,' Artagesh growled, storming through the base.

'Someone needs to keep an eye on you,' Jaesa insisted, practically running to keep up with her master, 'after all, it's pretty clear that Vette's possible condition has rubbed you wrong.'

'What did you expect?' Artagesh hissed, still not slowing down, 'I knew there was something wrong when I reached out to her at the Leth Outpost, and there was nothing I could do about it.'

'So you _**did**_ know,' Jaesa sighed, 'look, in the end, just remember that we care about Vette nearly as much as you do, and are willing to help you, but having a massive hissy fit _**isn't**_ going to help.' As soon as this statement was made, Artagesh stopped and stared at Jaesa, making the apprentice's blood run cold, 'Sorry,' Jaesa hastily replied, 'but you really _**do**_ need to calm down, it's not going to help Vette.'

Artageh let out a big sigh before continuing to walk down the frozen corridor, leaving Jaesa in the dust, realising that her zabrak master really didn't want to talk.

* * *

Artagesh p.o.v.

After an argument so loud Wyellett and Xerender probably heard it in their icy cavern, Artagesh had finally convinced the commander to let him take the shuttle back to the space station.

Not wasting any time, Artagesh raced back to the shuttle, glad to see that it was already defrosted and refuelled, 'Let's go!' Artagesh yelled, boarding the shuttle to find that Jaesa, Pierce, and Broonmark were there, all of them giving him looks of concern that he completely ignored.

Despite the fact that the ride back to the space station only took five minutes, it was painfully long for the zabrak as he fidgeted in his seat, waiting for the shuttle to land so that he could hurry back to the _Fury_. Once the shuttle landed, Artagesh barrelled off the shuttle and towards his ship.

Hurrying onto the ship, Artagesh rushed into the medbay to see a deathly pale blue twi'lek writhing in agony, unconscious, 'What happened?' Artagesh demanded, 'we were on Taris two weeks ago, why did it take so long?'

'I don't know, my lord,' Quinn replied, his stoic monotone voice laced with a tinge of concern, 'she should have turned within hours of infection, but, as you said, it's been two weeks at least. The only reason I can think of is that the chemicals on Quesh mutated the virus.'

Artagesh looked at his girlfriend's frail form with sadness, 'how much longer does she have?'

'At absolute best, one week,' Quinn explained, 'she started showing symptoms three days ago but it reached its worst six hours ago.' Artagesh refrained from crying, lightly grasping Vette's hand as Jaesa and Pierce entered the room, with the girl sharply drawing breath at the sight of her friend.

'Is there anything we can do?' Artagesh asked.

'I'm afraid we don't have the resources to treat her,' Quinn explained, 'there is, however, someone on Dromund Kaas who can help.'

Artagesh's curiosity piqued and he turned to Quinn, 'who?' he demanded before turning back to Vette.

'One of the Empire's best doctors,' Quinn explained, 'he knows more about the Rakghoul plague than anyone else in the Empire.'

The comm beeped, attracting Artagesh's attention, 'Baras,' he sighed, 'Quinn, arrange a meeting with the doctor.'

'Right away, my lord,' Quinn replied as Artagesh left the medbay, turning on the holoterminal.

'Apprentice,' Baras called from across the galaxy, 'I am beyond pleased. Plan Zero is complete and the Republic is reeling from their humiliating defeat.'

'Get to the point, Baras,' Artagesh snarled, not bothering with formalities, 'I don't have time for your boasting.'

'Apprentice, where did this attitude come from?' Baras demanded in a concerned tone that was so fake that Artagesh might've thrown up, 'this is a momentous occasion, you should be proud!'

'You didn't call just to say "well done, my apprentice, now go have a vacation,' Artagesh growled, 'What. Do. You. Want?'

'I wasn't entirely forthcoming about my motives behind Plan Zero,' Baras blatantly explained. 'Meet me in my quarters at the Citadel, we have much to discuss.'

Before Baras could question him further, Artagesh turned off the holoterminal to see his crew, except Broonmark, giving him a look of concern, 'What?' Artagesh snapped, heating the room with his rage.

'Master,' Jaesa began, 'what are we to do?'

Artagesh paused before responding, 'Vette is still our top priority,' he explained, 'Quinn and Jaesa shall go to meet with this "doctor" the captain mentioned, Pierce will accompany me to the Citadel.'

'As you wish, my lord,' Quinn replied, 'I shall set course for Dromund Kaas.'

'And I'll keep an eye on Vette,' Jaesa explained, speaking to stop Artagesh from interrupting, 'you, however, should get ready for whatever it is Baras wants you to do.'

'As you say, _mother_ ,' Artagesh growled before storming onto the bridge.

* * *

Jaesa p.o.v.

Dropping the Sith off at the Citadel, Jaesa and Quinn were making their way through the city with Vette on a stretcher, ignoring the peculiar looks they were receiving. Walking alongside Quinn, Jaesa quickly grew frustrated with the silence and decided to speak up.

'So, this doctor,' Jaesa questioned, 'who is he?'

'He's one of the best in the Empire,' Quinn explained, 'he worked on Quesh for about two years on the adrenals before reassignment, and,' Quinn stopped to look at Jaesa, 'don't tell him, but he used to serve in Imperial Intelligence.'

'What do you mean: don't tell him?' Jaesa questioned, 'he doesn't know?'

'No,' Quinn explained, turning a corner, 'his skills drew the attention of the Minister of Intelligence. He served there for years as Minder 8, before the Minister decided his usefulness had expired and had his memory erased.'

Jaesa stared at Quinn, 'That seems a little extreme.'

Quinn let out a slight chuckle, 'If you were to look into what Intelligence did every other day,' he noted, 'you'd realise that memory replacement was quite normal.'

Jaesa gave Quinn an inquisitive look but decided to drop the subject, turning her thoughts back to Vette. Sure, Jaesa had only known the twi'lek for a few months, but she had already formed a sister-like friendship… and the human appreciated it. Artagesh may have been the head of the team, but Vette was the heart, and, while she couldn't speak for Pierce, she and Quinn wouldn't get rid of her for any reason. Jaesa could tell, just by looking at him, that Quinn was as worried about the twi'lek's condition as she was, though he hid it behind a stoic façade.

They had been walking for about five minutes before they arrived at their destination: a small building near the bank. 'He's a bit jumpy,' Quinn noted, stopping at the door, 'don't speak unless you have a reason to,' Jaesa inwardly growled at the captain's attitude but didn't show it, knowing that letting her emotions guide her would lead her down a much darker path.

Straightening himself up, Quinn knocked on the door, and the pair waited for about thirty seconds before the door opened, revealing a pale man, probably in his late 30s, holding a datapad, 'Quinn,' the man greeted, not looking up from the pad, 'glad to see you made it off Balmorra.'

'Actually, I haven't been on Balmorra for some time,' the captain explained, piquing Jaesa's curiosity, 'I serve the apprentice of Darth Baras now, Lord Artagesh.'

'Fascinating,' the former Intelligence agent replied, looking up from his pad to examine his guests, 'and… who is your companion?'

Quinn looked at Jaesa and she could've sworn she saw his mouth twitch from holding back a smirk, 'This is the apprentice of Lord Artagesh,' he explained, 'Jaesa, this is Doctor Tornak.'

Tornak took Jaesa's hand and raised it to his lips, prompting Willsaam to pull away in disgust, 'I'm afraid we aren't here to discuss formalities, doctor,' Jaesa replied, distancing herself from Tornak, 'we think our friend has been infected with the Rakghoul Plague.'

'Yes,' Tornak replied, examining the writhing body of Vette, 'Quinn said that the plague has been mutated, following your trip to Quesh. Bring her in, I'll have a look at her.' Tornak gestured Jaesa and Quinn into his home before hurrying upstairs, presumably to grab his equipment.

Once she was sure he was out of earshot, Jaesa leaned in to Quinn, 'This guy's a creep,' she whispered, 'are you sure we can trust him with Vette?'

'There's no one else we could ask,' the captain replied, 'you'll just have to trust him, he may be a creep but he's the best doctor I know. Vette's in good hands.'

A thud came from upstairs and Jaesa shuddered, 'I hope you're right.'

* * *

 _Later…_

Artagesh p.o.v.

'There's something about that "Lord Draahg" that bothers me,' Pierce noted, once they were clear of Baras's chambers.

'I can understand your concerns, lieutenant,' Artagesh sighed, walking over to rent a taxi, 'taxi to the spaceport, please,' the droid gestured Artagesh and the lieutenant to one of the speeders and helped them in, before the taxi sped off towards the spaceport.

'Why are we going back to the spaceport?' Pierce asked, 'I thought you'd want to go check on Vette.'

Artagesh looked at Pierce, sighing before slumping into his chair, 'Jaesa is convinced that I shouldn't see Vette while she's in such bad shape,' he explained, absentmindedly watching the city fly past, 'and, in the end, I agree with her. Vette means the world to me, and I can't bear seeing her so sick.'

'I can't blame you,' Pierce noted, 'I mean, if it was me, I wouldn't let it compromise a mission,' Artagesh gave the lieutenant a dark look, 'sorry, my lord. I didn't mean to offend… anyway, I can understand why you would be so upset.'

Artagesh looked away from Pierce before seeing something on the edge of the city. Quickly hotwiring the controls, Artagesh veered the taxi off course and towards a tower, 'What is this place, my lord?' Pierce insisted as Artagesh drew the taxi to a halt in the garage.

'My father's house,' he explained, climbing out of the taxi, 'where it all began.'

The zabrak led the lieutenant across the garage and up the stairs to the main room, hoping to find something to take his mind off Vette.

The house had been all but abandoned. Artagesh had heard rumours of his father being captured by the Republic and taken to a secret prison planet. But that couldn't be true. That wasn't how the Republic operated, they were too gutless.

The halls were covered in dust, cobwebs were blown out of the doorway as Artagesh stepped out onto the balcony to be met with rain and wind. By right, this place belonged to him now. Maybe he could move in with Vette, once everything was back to normal.

 _It will go back to normal_ , the sentence had been on a loop in Artagesh's had ever since he'd found out Vette was sick. She couldn't die. It wouldn't be fair, he couldn't possibly handle it.

'My lord?' Pierce called from the doorway, stopping a violent shaking that the zabrak had only just noticed he was causing.

'What?' the zabrak asked, continuing to ignore the rain.

'Quinn tried to call you,' he explained, 'he said your comm was off.'

 _Blast_ , Artagesh thought, taking out his commlink and turning it back on. 'What is Vette's condition, Quinn?' he demanded.

'My lord, I am pleased to inform you that Doctor Tormak, my associate, has managed to manufacture an antidote for Vette's infection,' the captain explained, bringing a big grin to the zabrak's face, 'we were just about to move her back to the ship. How did your meeting with Darth Baras go?'

'Don't worry about that now, captain,' Artagesh ordered, 'we'll meet you on the ship.'

'Understood, my lord,' the zabrak turned off the commlink and ran down to the garage, closely followed by Pierce, as he jumped inside the taxi and headed for the spaceport.

* * *

The zabrak darted aboard the ship and into the medbay, and was beyond thrilled to see Vette's skin returning to its normal shade.

'Doctor Tornak used what little supplies he had to create the antidote,' Quinn explained, 'I suggested he took it to the medical service, but apparently the infection was too mutated for the antidote to work on the central strain.'

'Honestly,' Jaesa sighed from Vette's bedside, 'I'm just glad Vette's going to be okay, and that I don't have to go near Tornak again,' Artagesh's apprentice shuddered, 'that guy creeps me out.'

'So,' Quinn interjected, 'how did the meeting with Darth Baras go, my lord?'

'We'll talk about it later,' the Sith insisted, 'it's late, get some rest.'

Quinn and Pierce filled out of the room as Artagesh walked over to his girlfriend and sat by her side. After a minute, Artagesh looked up and saw that Jaesa was still there.

'Jaesa,' the zabrak sighed, 'go get some sleep, you look exhausted.'

'You can talk,' his apprentice replied, looking up at her master, 'you look just about ready to drop dead.'

'I'll live,' Artagesh groaned, 'she looks like she's about to wake up, please, get some rest.'

Jaesa looked at her master and smiled, 'alright then,' she laughed, 'I'll see you in the morning.'

Artagesh turned his attention back to Vette as Jaesa left the room, hoping that she would wake soon.

* * *

He had been sitting by her side for nearly an hour, and exhaustion was finally starting to catch up with him. As Artagesh's eyes had started to droop for the fiftieth time, he finally saw what he had been waiting for: The green eyes of his girlfriend slowly opening.

Forcing his eyes open, Artagesh smiled as Vette fully regained consciousness and slowly sat up, 'Hey Vette,' Artagesh smiled, refraining from pulling his girlfriend into a massive hug, 'how are you?'

'Please tell me that was a rhetorical question Artagesh,' she yawned, taking hold of the zabrak's hand.

The conversation quickly stopped as the two made eye-contact. Neither wanted to look away or break the connection they had suddenly made as they leaned in and kissed, eventually only parting when their lungs demanded oxygen. 'I thought I'd lost you,' Artagesh whispered, holding back a tear.

'I thought I was never going to see you again,' she replied, 'I was so scared.'

'You don't have to be afraid anymore, Vette,' Artagesh pulled away from Vette to look her in the eye once more, 'I will _**always**_ be there to protect you.'

Vette pecked Artagesh on the lips before standing up, 'I know,' she replied, holding out her arm to allow her boyfriend to help her to their bedroom.

Artagesh pulled off his jacket and climbed into bed, watching Vette change into her pyjamas and snuggle up next to him, 'I love you, Vette,' he whispered, kissing her on the forehead, 'don't ever leave me again.'

Vette wrapped her boyfriend up in a cuddle as she closed her eyes again, 'I won't,' she replied, 'I love you too, Artagesh.'

Despite how tired he was, Artagesh was surprised to be asleep before Vette was. He didn't let it bother him, as he wrapped her up in his arms, allowing her to snuggle in just a little bit more, as the zabrak finally fell asleep.

 **Longer chapter, hope you like. Rate and review plz!**


	6. Lost Emotions

**Chapter 6: Lost Emotions**

Artagesh p.o.v.

It had been a month since Vette was cured of the Rakghoul Plague, and the death of Darth Vengean, and Artagesh had done almost nothing in all of that time. Ever since Vette was cured of the plague, Artagesh had a very hard time letting her out of her sight, and it was his behaviour which prompted her to do the same thing for him.

There he sat, in bed, completely naked, a small, blue, figure snuggled up next to him, also completely naked. That had been the first time they had actually "slept together", as Vette had made a big deal out of not being with a man until she got married, it had been a promise she made to her mother. This prompted Artagesh to propose to his girlfriend, which she hastily accepted.

Lying in bed, Artagesh tried to convince himself to get out of bed, knowing that, sooner or later, Dark Council member Baras would be calling him to send him on another errand, something the zabrak had quickly grown tired of.

However, Vette had, for reasons unknown, refused Artagesh's request to exit the bed, as she only hugged him tighter when he tried to slip from her embrace. Of course, she had also made some very convincing arguments to swing the vote in the way of: "Stay in bed forever," and two of them just brushed past his arm.

'Vette,' he whispered in a playful tone, 'I'm afraid it's time to get up.' The twi'lek looked up at her husband, a look of disdain in her eye.

'Do we have to?' she groaned, burying her face in the pillow, 'it's _**so**_ comfy.'

'I know,' he replied, reaching down and stroking her head, 'but we can't stay in bed _**all**_ day.' Artagesh stroked his wife's head in silence before proceeding down one of her lekku and touched it in the way he knew would make her shiver. Not giving him a chance, Vette quickly rolled on top of her husband and lay on him.

'Not fair,' she whispered into his ear. Smirking, Artagesh grabbed the back of Vette's neck and pulled her into a kiss, one that continued for a good minute, before the door abruptly opened, which was inconvenient as the blankets had fallen off them.

'My lord,' Quinn called from the doorway, 'I regret to disturb you but…' Quinn spluttered as Vette quickly rolled off Artagesh and hid under the blankets, and the captain quickly looked away from the zabrak.

'Quinn,' the zabrak sighed, not bothering to move, 'what have I told you about knocking?'

'Master? Are you awake?' called the voice of Artagesh's apprentice, fast approaching to door, 'I was wondering if you wanted to – oh!' Jaesa, who was now in the doorway, had very quickly lost the ability to move, or look away.

'Jaesa,' the zabrak sighed, grabbing the blanket, 'I think training can wait.'

'Er, understood,' Jaesa replied, still unable to look away, 'is it bad that I can't look away?'

'Not really,' Vette replied, who had thrown on her pyjamas and very quickly picked Artagesh's clothes off the floor, 'not when it's _**that**_ big.'

'Vette, please stop,' Artagesh ordered in a commanding tone, 'Jaesa, I want you to go meditate for ten minutes, then have breakfast.'

'Of course, master,' Jaesa stuttered, quickly walking out of the room. The zabrak sighed, and very quickly threw on some casual clothes before turning to Quinn.

'Captain,' he called, prompting Quinn to look back at him, 'what did you want?'

'Uh, right,' he stammered, 'sorry my lord. Darth Baras has made contact, he demands that you speak with him.'

Artagesh turned to Vette and gave her a look of "This-is-why-we-need-to-get-out-of-bed." 'What does he want now?' he groaned, quickly pulling on his armour to look, somewhat, presentable. 'Let's go see what he wants.'

Artagesh, followed by a hastily dressed Vette, walked out of their quarters and stood in front of the holoterminal, waiting for Baras to show himself once again.

'Apprentice,' Baras greeted at the exact moment he appeared on the terminal, 'it is customary to bow in the presence of a Dark Council member.' Baras's newfound cockiness had already started getting on Artagesh's nerves.

'I don't see why I have to,' the zabrak replied, 'I'm not a dog, Baras.'

'Apprentice,' Baras hissed, 'where has this sudden hostility come from? Today is a day of celebration! We are at war. We, along with the Republic, have already dealt a series of deadly blows to the other, and you are to be on the front lines.'

Artagesh looked at Vette from the corner of his eye, 'When did you get so high-and-mighty, Baras?' he questioned, raising a brow.

'I don't know what you're talking about, apprentice,' Baras replied in a way that was not dissimilar to chuckling, which slightly disturbed the zabrak. 'Now, the main battleground in the war right now is Corellia, but there is something I need you to take care of first before you can go there… something personal.'

Artagesh sighed, 'And what would that be?'

'There's a small squad of Republic soldiers on Quesh,' the Darth explained, 'they are attempting to sabotage the Empire's mining process there, and they are currently approaching my mineshaft. I want you to go there and stop them.'

Artagesh sighed but didn't complain, 'If I must,' he sighed, 'send me the location, I'll have it sorted in no time.'

'Thank you, my friend,' Baras replied, pressing some buttons on a datapad, 'I'm sending you coordinates, get this done soon, and we'll have this war won in no time.'

The holoterminal flicked off and Artagesh turned to Quinn, 'Chart a course to Quesh,' he ordered, 'let's get this over with.'

'Right away, my lord,' the captain replied before heading for the bridge. The zabrak turned to his wife, seeing a familiar look in her eye.

'I understand why you're worried,' he noted, taking her hand, 'Baras is being worryingly upfront with me. I think I also heard him laugh… something I never want to see again.'

Vette smiled slightly but it quickly faded. Artagesh made eye-contact with Vette, once again getting encapsulated by their beauty, 'It's not just that,' she explained, knocking the zabrak out of his trance, 'when you've been in the underworld for as long as I have, you don't need the Force to know when somebody isn't telling you the full story. If you go to Quesh, it's quite likely you'll be walking into a trap.'

'I'll be fine,' the zabrak insisted, kissing the twi'lek on the forehead, 'but I _**am**_ gonna need to go alone... it'll save time, as I'm the only one on this ship fit to go down to Quesh.'

'That's not true,' Vette insisted, 'I could go, I got inoculated as well!'

'Oh no,' Artagesh hastily replied, 'you aren't going anywhere near that planet, not after what happened last time!'

The couple stared into each other's eyes and Vette very quickly backed down, 'Just be careful,' she insisted, 'I think you'll be interested to know that I found my old shock collar last night.' The twi'lek walked past Artagesh and to her post in the engine room, leaving her zabrak husband's mouth hanging open in disbelief.

'What are you suggesting?' he yelled after her, not getting a response as the ship came out of hyperspace.

'My lord,' Quinn called, sticking his head out of the bridge door, 'we've arrived at the Quesh spacestation.'

'Good,' Artagesh replied, grabbing his lightsabers and fastening on his armour, 'await my return… this shouldn't take long.'

 _Later…_

Vette p.o.v.

Something had gone seriously wrong down on Quesh. Vette couldn't explain it, but it was if she heard a small explosion coming from the surface, quickly followed by a ripple through the Force, one even a non-sensitive like her could detect. Not long after, Artagesh stormed back onto the ship, seething.

Vette wasn't even able to greet him with a kiss, he just immediately went to the holoterminal and started talking to some weird Sith Purebloods in dark robes, spouting some craziness about the Emperor's Wrath and Hand and Voice.

The only thing Vette truly got out of Artagesh's conversation with "Servant One" and "Servant Two" was that their next destination was the prison planet Belsavis.

Vette wasn't even listening to the conversation Artagesh and the rest of the crew was having, she was entirely focused on her husband, and his, almost terrifying, attitude.

The zabrak radiated anger, hate, and suffering, almost on the level of that Nomen Karr guy on Hutta. It reminded her of what Artagesh was like when she first met him, back on Korriban. Mentally slapping herself for reminding herself of that encounter, Vette quickly realised that the crew had dissipated and Artagesh had gone to their quarters.

Hesitantly, Vette walked over to the door and lightly knocked, letting herself in when she didn't get an answer. Artagesh was sitting on the edge of the bed, visibly seething, so much so that she thought she saw a spark come off one of his horns. It took her about a minute of staring, but the twi'lek finally plucked up the courage to speak, 'Artagesh,' she called, reaching over and grasping his shoulder, he had an incredibly high temperature, but she knew that was his anger, not sickness, 'what's wrong?'

The zabrak sat in silence before abruptly turning around to face his wife. His eyes weren't filled with the kindness she'd grown to love, it was just like the eyes of the acolyte back on Korriban. Frightened, Vette let go of Artagesh's shoulder and shuffled back, along the bed. 'Draahg,' Artagesh growled, 'Baras's other apprentice, the one I saved while you were in a coma, he tried to kill me, Baras is plotting against me, and you ask what's wrong? Why the hell would I be so blasted pissed off, if not for that? Use your goddamn head, and listen for once in you blasted life!'

Vette stared at her husband in shock, 'I'm-' she stuttered, 'I'm sorry…'

'Sorry isn't going to cut it, Vette,' Artagesh hissed, 'I've done _**so much**_ to make your life better, I got married to you, I endured those stupid twi'lek marriage ceremonies because I love you, and you've done _**NOTHING**_ for me! Explain to me why I didn't just kill you back on Korriban…' Vette remained silent, 'well? _**ENLIGHTEN ME!**_ '

Vette was beyond horrified. She simply sat on the bed, refusing to make eye contact with the eyes that radiated hate, instead of warmth, before standing up and gathering her stuff. 'If that's how you feel,' she muttered, holding back a cascade of tears, 'I'm gonna go sleep with the others. You can have this room to yourself again.' Vette didn't give Artagesh a chance to respond, she just gathered up her small supply of clothing, weapons, and other items, and hurried down the hallway to the crew's quarters.

Luckily, the only person in the crew's quarters was Jaesa, who was in the middle of meditation when Vette ran into the room, dumped her stuff on the floor, flopped onto her old bunk, and started sobbing.

Jaesa p.o.v.

Jaesa's meditation was very quickly interrupted by footsteps in the hallway. The apprentice tried to ignore whoever had just walked in, but opened her eyes slightly when she thought she heard crying.

Opening her eyes fully, Jaesa was surprised to see Vette lying face down on her old bunk, sobbing.

'Vette,' she quietly called from the other end of the room, 'what's wrong?'

The blue twi'lek, stopped crying and picked herself up before sitting on the side of her bunk, showing her tear stained face. Quickly wiping her eyes and removing the tear streaks, Vette looked at Jaesa, who had sat down next to her, 'Artagesh…' she began, unable to find the right words.

'What about him?' Jaesa questioned, putting an arm around the twi'lek.

'Wh-whatever happened on Quesh, it affected him much worse than he said it did…'

Jaesa gripped Vette's hand, 'If you don't want to talk about it,' she explained, attempting to comfort her friend.

'No, it's fine,' Vette took a deep breath. 'I went to speak with Artagesh, tried to understand what was wrong… he just started yelling at me, said I did nothing for him, and then demanded to know why he didn't kill me back on Korriban.' It didn't take much for Jaesa to understand why Vette was so upset, considering how close and the couple had been earlier, 'He reminded me so much of what he was like back then,' she explained, 'it's terrifying.'

Vette was doing her best to hold back the tears, but Jaesa could tell. Letting go of Vette's hand, Jaesa placed her hand against Vette's upper back, 'It's okay to cry, Vette,' she whispered, 'let it out.'

Letting go of the urge to hold back the tears, Vette wrapped her arms around Jaesa and buried her face in the human's shoulder. Jaesa wrapped her arms around the twi'lek, patting her back in a comforting way.

As Vette cried into her shoulder, Jaesa reached out through the Force to get a good look at her master. She very quickly realised that she didn't need her ability to sense how different Artagesh was. All sense of calm, collectedness, and kindness had disappeared, replaced by anger, impatience, hatred, and a burning desire for revenge.

As she returned her focus to her friend, Jaesa noticed that Vette had stopped crying, and had downgraded to lightly sobbing, 'Why don't you get some sleep, Vette?' she suggested, 'I'm gonna go speak with Artagesh.' Vette looked up from Jaesa's shoulder and nodded, before proceeding to let go of the human and climb under the sheets of her bunk.

Once Vette was safely in bed, Jaesa left the room and made a beeline for her master's quarters. Stopping outside the door, the apprentice cleared her throat and knocked, 'Master?' she cautiously called.

'Jaesa,' came the, now harsh, voice of Artagesh, 'we're not doing any training, so don't bother asking.'

'Alright, then,' she replied, 'but that's not why I'm here. I wanted to request to join you on Belsavis.'

The door opened and Jaesa came face-to-face with Artagesh, 'Fine,' he sighed, walking past her, 'just don't get in the way.'

'Do I ever?' the apprentice asked, following the zabrak to the bridge. Sitting in silence, the pair watched and waited for the ship to come out of hyperspace over Belsavis.

Vette p.o.v.

Vette's sleep wasn't a pleasant one. Instead, she had memories of her old life. Her life as a slave, her capture on Korriban, and the eyes that filled her with happiness, except they didn't fill her with happiness anymore, they filled her with terror and made her wake in a cold sweat.

Lying in her bunk, Vette tried to take her mind off Artagesh, but found herself constantly thinking back to the creature that took her as a slave on Korriban, and how different he was to the man she fell in love with.

 **I really appreciate the fact that you guys read this. I also really appreciate constructive criticism, and would love to get at least two more reviews before I upload the next chapter.**


	7. Back from the Darkness

**Chapter 7: Back from the Darkness**

Artagesh p.o.v.

Artagesh was back in the minimum security wing of Belsavis. After a long, hard, journey, one that took him deep within the walls of the secret Republic prison planet, Artagesh had completed his mission: Baras's sister, Darth Ekkage, had been resealed within her prison, and the zabrak had gotten a mutual acquaintance in the form of Mirialan Jedi Master Timmns.

Of course, not everything had gone the way he had intended. His father, who he had intended to free, was nowhere to be found anywhere on Belsavis. Artagesh had gone to the prison world to achieve two objectives: Stop the escape of Darth Ekkage, and find his father, who had been reportedly imprisoned on an unmapped Republic prison planet not long after he had gone to Korriban to continue his training.

Letting out a large sigh, Artagesh looked around for his apprentice. Admittedly, the zabrak was more than a little glad that Jaesa had decided to join him, as she had a way of talking some sense into him in a way that only a force-sensitive would be able to. Artagesh was in love with Vette, but Jaesa would always be the one he went to if he needed to vent about something. She was definitely the second most pleasant company he kept aboard the Fury.

The zabrak groaned as Jaesa still didn't show herself. _What is she doing?_ he thought, closing his eyes as he thought back a few days.

* * *

 _3 days earlier…_

The small group of Esh-kha firing at them went hurtling backwards as Jaesa caused a shockwave in the Force, prompting the ancient prisoners to make hard impacts with the rocks, breaking bones and rendering most of them unconscious. The remaining creature that was still moving tried to pick up its rifle, only for Artagesh to step on it before igniting his orange lightsaber and stabbing him in the chest, finishing the creature off instantly.

Hooking his lightsabers onto his belt once more, Artagesh immediately started walking as Jaesa hurried to keep up with him. It didn't take long for the zabrak's apprentice to start talking again, something he was quickly growing tired of. 'I wanted to thank you for sparing Master Timmns, my lord,' she attempted, trying a different approach, 'I'd assumed you wouldn't take that path, considering everything that has been happening.'

'Just because I have every reason on killing Baras doesn't mean I'm going to kill a Jedi who happens to be in our way,' Artagesh growled, refusing to slow down or look back at his apprentice.

It took an extra five minutes for the zabrak to be pulled out of his thoughts by the familiar voice, 'Artagesh,' she yelled, 'stop seething for one _**blasted minute**_ and let me talk to you!' Artagesh stopped in his tracks. He couldn't lie, Jaesa yelling took him by surprise. She was usually so quiet and settled that her raising her voice was an incredibly rare occasion, and it generally meant she was extraordinarily upset or angry.

Turning to face his apprentice, who had taken a moment to steady her breathing and calm herself before staring at her master in disbelief. 'Can you truly hate Baras so much that you become oblivious to everything that doesn't lead you to destroying him?' she demanded, refusing to raise her voice, 'I have been trying to make you see what you have been doing ever since we landed on this planet and you won't even put your vendetta on hold for a single minute to listen?'

Artagesh glared at Jaesa, as if he subconsciously refused to open up about the situation. But deep down, Artagesh's attitude was no different to that of an angry child who would supposedly never stop being angry because his parents took away his favourite toy. Refusing to lower his defences, but open to hearing his apprentice's arguments, Artagesh crossed his arms and shifted weight onto his left side. 'I'm listening now,' he stated, 'what do you have to say?'

Jaesa let out a sigh of relief before making eye contact with her master, 'Ever since Draahg attempted to kill you on Quesh you've been keeping yourself isolated from everything and everyone,' she recounted. 'Your team has been without proper orders, your apprentice hasn't received any training whatsoever…'

Artagesh interrupted, 'If guilt tripping me is your strategy it's not going to work.'

'And your wife has been an emotional wreck for days,' Jaesa continued, ignoring Artagesh's interruption.

'Wait,' he insisted immediately, interrupting his apprentice a second time as he uncrossed his arms and stood up straight, 'what's wrong with Vette?'

'Do you even remember what you said to her?' Jaesa demanded, her temper rising, 'demanding to know why you spared her life on Korriban? Saying it in such a way that she thought you were going to kill her? Her running out of the room in tears? That ringing any bells?'

Artagesh stared at the girl in disbelief, 'I said that to her?' he asked, going over the thought in his mind again and again as the realization hit him like an angry gundark. 'I can't believe I actually said that to her. Hang on a second,' Artagesh pulled out his holocom and dialled in Vette's frequency, only to be met with static, 'blast!'

'Someone back in minimum security mentioned something about jammers,' Jaesa explained, a confused look in her eye, 'are you telling me that you really don't remember saying those things to Vette?'

'Everything that happened after Quesh is just a blur to me,' the zabrak explained, turning off the holocom and putting it away, 'I was beyond angry at the time.'

'I noticed.' Jaesa stared at her master in disbelief before clearing her throat, 'Anyway, if I've finally succeeded in opening your eyes, I think we should keep moving.'

Artagesh, who had begun to look incredibly downtrodden, looked up at his apprentice, 'Of course,' he replied, 'let's move.' Without another word, Artagesh turned around and started walking, leaving his apprentice to catch up.

* * *

'You're thinking again, aren't you?' asked the familiar voice as Artagesh found himself looking towards the horizon. The Wrath smirked and turned to see Jaesa walking up to him.

'Indeed I am,' he responded, 'dangerous, isn't it?'

'Eh, not really,' his apprentice smiled, 'what were you thinking about?'

Artagesh looked back at the ravine that lead deeper into the prison, 'I've just been contemplating the week's events,' he explained, 'it doesn't matter.'

'If you say so,' Jaesa sighed, dropping the subject, 'I checked with the pilot, he's ready to go when you are.'

The zabrak ensured he had everything with him, 'very well, let's not keep the Emperor's Hand waiting.'

Climbing into the shuttle and strapping himself in, Artagesh waited for Jaesa to be secure before banging on the wall behind the cockpit, 'Ready for take-off!' he called before the shuttle disconnected from the ground and began its ascension into the atmosphere. Looking to his left, Artagesh was surprised to see Jaesa hold in a grunt of pain as the right side of her robes started turning a particularly dark shade of crimson as she quickly pressed into her abdomen.

'Are you okay?' he asked, not wanting to take any chances.

'Yeah, it's fine,' she insisted, pressing harder into her abdomen, 'I got stabbed a couple days ago while I was out scouting, I bandaged it up and healed it the best I could… the ascension must've reopened it.'

Artagesh sighed before reaching over and pressing his hand over her considerably smaller one, 'You need to tell me when this happens, Jaesa,' he insisted, 'I don't mind.'

'Thanks master,' she smiled, 'but I can handle myself.'

Artagesh sighed, 'Jaesa, I say this not as your master, but as your friend: you need to let others help you.'

Jaesa couldn't move too much as it would increase the chances of more blood escaping her and Artagesh could tell she was starting to get light headed. 'You look exhausted, Jaesa,' he acknowledged, trying to appeal to her better nature, to little effect.

After a few minutes of pressing into Jaesa's side, Artagesh was pleased to see that his apprentice had stopped bleeding, though she looked like she would pass out at any time. 'Get some sleep,' he insisted, 'you've earned it.'

Jaesa finally gave in and, within seconds, had fallen asleep in her chair.

Artagesh sat back in his seat and let his mind wander. Now that he had a clear idea as to how he was behaving after Quesh, he realised he would need to set things right with Vette… and he wasn't looking forward to it. 'My lord?' the pilot called over the speaker, 'we're one minute out from the space station.'

'Thank you,' the Wrath replied, turning back to Jaesa. He didn't want to wake her up, mainly because he knew she needed the sleep, the fight with Ekkage had taken a toll on her. But then again, even as a married man he couldn't deny that Jaesa was adorable when she was sleeping, and he didn't really want to ruin that.

* * *

Vette p.o.v.

After nearly a week of lounging around on the Fury, doing very little, having nightmares, and waiting for news on Artagesh and Jaesa's location, the first time Vette saw her husband, he was carrying a sleeping Jaesa in his arms and taking her into the medical bay.

Vette, who had been lying on the couch for most of the day, had finally stopped freaking out about her husband's behaviour after Lord Draahg attempted to kill him, though she was still sore about it and wanted to talk to him if he was willing to listen.

Having spent most of her time on the ship, she only went onto the space station if she was getting restless, Vette had, somehow, managed to grow accustomed to being surrounded by an uptight captain, a lieutenant who had probably developed a twisted fantasy involving either herself or Jaesa, and a furry homicidal maniac. But that didn't mean she wasn't looking forward to being able to hang out with Jaesa and, hopefully, Artagesh, again.

When Artagesh first walked onto the ship she didn't know what to think. Her husband was carrying her, sleeping, best friend and took her into the medical bay. Concerned, Vette jumped up from the couch and walked over to where her husband had gone and saw Artagesh working to remove the outermost layer of Jaesa's robes, probably to get a better look at whatever injury had darkened said robes with so much blood.

'D'you need a hand with that?' Vette asked from the doorway, prompting Artagesh to look up.

'Vette,' he said in shock before quickly regaining his composure, 'yes, chances are I'm gonna need some more experienced help here. Can you go get Quinn?'

In no mood to go running around the ship, Vette stuck her head out into the central room, 'Quinn!' she yelled, 'get your butt down to the medical bay! And bring your equipment!' Vette turned back to her husband to see the Wrath staring at her with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Jaesa.

'Can you lift her up for a second?' he asked, not looking away from the blood patch, 'I need to pull the robe off.'

'Can't you just wake her up?' the twi'lek questioned, looking from her husband to her friend and back again.

'The sleep will do wonders for her health,' he explained, looking up at her, 'anyway, she's basically unconscious, waking her up isn't exactly easy.'

Sighing in disbelief, Vette walked over to Jaesa and lifted her up into a sitting position. Gripping the hem of her robes, Artagesh pulled them up and, after a rather difficult process, managed to pull it over her head, leaving her in a simple white singlet and shorts. Well, Vette could hardly call the singlet white, it had been soaked through by at least a litre of blood.

'Kriff,' Vette exhaled as she dumped Jaesa's robe on a nearby chair, 'she's heavier than she looks!'

Just as Artagesh was about to yell for him to hurry up, Quinn finally walked into the medical bay, 'Where have you been?' the Wrath demanded, turning to the captain.

'Apologies, my lord,' the captain replied in his stoic demeanour, 'I had somehow misplaced my medscanner.'

Vette facepalmed as Artagesh rolled his eyes at the feeble excuse, 'Whatever,' he sighed, turning back to Jaesa as Quinn walked over to him and rolled up Jaesa's singlet ever-so-slightly, prompting Vette to stop breathing for a second.

The cut was at least three inches long, running down half her abdomen, was half an inch wide and had a slight green colouring to it. Quinn inspected and sighed, 'This is a deep cut,' he acknowledged, 'she'll be okay but she's gonna need a lot of kolto.'

'Then get to it,' Artagesh ordered, 'I need to contact the Hand.' The Sith left the room without another word and Vette quickly followed him out into the main room.

'Artagesh,' she called, 'I need to talk to you.'

The zabrak stopped at the holoterminal, not inputting anything, 'I know,' he replied, 'but I have a feeling that the Hand is gonna want me to contact them now.'

'Is that a Force thing?' the twi'lek asked with a raised eyebrow.

'No,' Artagesh replied as he input the Hand's holofrequency before looking at her with a smirk, 'just a gut feeling.'

'Yes because your gut is completely reliable,' she joked, smiling for the first time in days.

Artagesh smiled at Vette's joke but didn't respond, instead, he waited for the Hand to answer his call. The two purebloods came up on the holo and the Sith talking. As per usual, Vette ignored most of it, only tuning into keywords. This time, the keywords were Armageddon Battalion, Hoth, and Corellia.

'I'll have the Battalion reassigned to Corellia in no time,' Artagesh replied, 'I'll contact you when I'm done.' The zabrak disconnected and turned to Vette, 'Quinn's busy with Jaesa,' he noted, 'set a course for Hoth.'

'Will do,' Vette replied, walking towards the bridge, 'can I come with? I still wanna talk.'

'We'll have to talk later,' the Wrath explained, 'I'm going alone to save time.'

'If you say so.' Vette stepped onto the bridge and input Hoth's coordinates, sending the Fury into hyperspace. After five minutes of sitting at the main console, Vette took control of the ship once again and docked it at the space station.

'Don't take long!' she called, 'you can't escape "the talk".'

'I know I can't!' her husband yelled back as the sound of the ship's main doors opening filled the Fury, closely followed by them closing.

With nothing else to do, Vette walked into the medical bay and sat by Jaesa as Quinn finished up the treatment.

'She gonna be okay?' the twi'lek asked once Quinn packed up his equipment.

'She'll be fine,' the captain replied as he walked back to the bridge.

Vette had started to nod off when the patient finally awoke from her slumber.

'Where are we?' asked Jaesa in a drowsy voice.

'In orbit over Hoth,' Vette explained after snapping out of her doze, 'you've been out for just over an hour.'

'I feel asleep in the shuttle from Belsavis,' Jaesa muttered, slightly confused, 'how'd I get back to the ship?'

'How do you think?' Vette asked rhetorically, 'Artagesh carried you back.'

'Oh, of course he did,' the human muttered as she sat up.

'He seems a lot calmer now,' the twi'lek acknowledged,' you talked some sense into him?'

'It took three days and a lot of patience, but I got through to him eventually,' Jaesa explained, confirming Vette's theories. 'Have you spoken to him yet?'

'No,' the twi'lek replied, 'I think he's avoiding the subject.'

'He probably doesn't want to think about what he said to you,' the apprentice noted, 'can't say I blame him.'

'No…' the only girls on the ship sat in companionable silence for a few seconds, 'can we talk about something else? What was Belsavis like?'

'Well,' Jaesa started, sliding her legs over the side of the bed, 'it was obviously very chaotic, as you'd expect from a rioting prison, but the nature was some of the most interesting and beautiful I've seen in a while.'

The girls sat and idly talked for a few minutes, taking their mind off the man running around down on Hoth as they remembered how much they enjoyed each other's company.

Just when they'd started running out of topics, their conversation was interrupted by the incredibly loud sound of an explosion.

'What the hell was that?' Vette yelled, looking around in shock.

Pierce, who had started running around the second he heard the explosion, passed the medical bay, 'Whatever it was, it came from the station,' he explained, pulling his rifle from his back. As soon as the lieutenant informed her of the situation, Vette had grabbed her blasters and was on her way out, only stopping when she saw that Jaesa had gotten up.

'Oh no,' the twi'lek insisted, pushing the apprentice back onto the bed, 'you're in no shape to fight, stay here.' Not even wasting time to see if Jaesa obeyed her, Vette raced out the door, nearly knocking down Quinn as the pair of them found Pierce firing at someone outside the ship.

'We're in trouble,' the lieutenant hissed, 'Baras knows Artagesh is alive. It's Draahg.'

Vette looked at Quinn and saw the blood rush from his face. Nevertheless, the two of them primed their blasters and, after ensuring they were both ready, stepped out of the ship and fired at the man who was currently swinging his lightsabers at Broonmark, who was holding him back with his vibrosword.

It was clear that Broonmark was losing the fight, it looked like the Talz was on the verge of dropping his sword and attacking Baras's protégé with his bare hands. Vette, however, didn't want to take that chance, so, priming a small grenade she'd pulled from her belt, she pelted it at the Sith, 'Broonmark, move!' she yelled as the grenade continued its arch towards Draahg, prompting the Talz to break his lock with his enemy and roll out of the way, only to be caught in the explosion and sent flying across the room, as Draahg simply got up and dusted himself off before walking over to finish the job.

Then it was Quinn's turn to do something stupid as he ran towards Draahg, firing a volley of blaster bolts at him as Vette and Pierce continued to provide cover fire. Draahg turned his attention to Quinn as he deflected every single bolt back at the trio before reaching out through the Force and grabbing Quinn's throat, prompting him to stop firing and reach up to pry away an invisible hand to regain the ability to breathe.

Vette, who had been doing so much shooting that her blasters were probably going to overheat, almost didn't notice when Pierce charged Draahg and tackled him to the ground before relentlessly punching the Sith in the face, over and over. Vette ceased fire but, when she saw Pierce receive multiple hits from one of Draahg's lightsabers, the twi'lek charged the Sith as he got up and struck Quinn several times with his lightsabers, prompting her to stop running and fire at the Sith until her guns did overheat, burning her hands.

Draahg took the opportunity and grabbed Vette's neck, not bothering with the Force, as he repeatedly punched her before throwing her to the ground. Her vision fading, Vette could barely see Draahg ignite his lightsaber and stand over her. Resigning herself to her fate, Vette awaited her death, only to hear a new lightsaber ignite as Draahg was pushed away. Squinting, Vette could just about make out a girl with a yellow double-bladed lightsaber duelling Draahg, but the twi'lek's vision faded and she fell unconscious.

* * *

Artagesh p.o.v.

Artagesh stepped off the shuttle and made a beeline straight for the hangar. Go to Hoth, reassign Armageddon Battalion, the zabrak had gotten his objective done within an hour, and it had only taken that long due to the travel issues you'd expect on Hoth.

As he stepped off the elevator into the hangar, Artagesh was treated with an unexpected sight: a fire raged beneath the walkway as Jaesa, still in her singlet and shorts, was duelling Draahg with the rest of the crew lying around them, out cold.

Before he could even fully take in the situation however, Artagesh was pulled from his thoughts when Jaesa screamed in agony as Draahg landed a solid strike on her left side before sending her flying backwards, leaving her to writhe on the ground in pain. Not wasting anymore time, Artagesh ignited his lightsabers.

'Get away from them!' he roared, stopping a few metres away from Baras's protégé, who turned and smirked as Artagesh stared in horror at his fallen crew.

'You're looking well for someone I blew up,' Draahg acknowledged, 'your slaves fought well, Darth Baras will put them to good use. Provided they agree to serve him.'

'None of them will serve Baras,' Artagesh spat, 'they are loyal to me and me alone.'

'You do realise that Baras is the Voice of the Emperor, right?' Draahg asked, as he ignited one of his lightsabers, 'with him, the Republic will be wiped out, and the Empire will answer to him, and him alone.'

'Baras is delusional if he truly believes he is the Voice,' Artagesh growled, 'and you are a fool for believing the words of a liar.'

'Except they aren't lies,' Draahg laughed, clearly trying to mock the Wrath, 'they are the truth, and these people you serve are not the Emperor's Hand. You are not the Wrath.'

'Prove me wrong,' Artagesh spat, watching as Jaesa slowly picked herself up and started carrying Vette onto the ship.

'Very well,' Draahg sighed as he ignited his other lightsaber. Wasting no more time, Artagesh swung at Draahg and the two began to fight, incorporating a large variety of lightsaber and Force abilities in an attempt to break the other's defence. To a viewer it would almost look like the two were dancing as they threw everything they had at each other.

As Jaesa snuck out of the Fury and picked up the still unconscious Quinn and started carrying him towards the ship, Artagesh swung at Draahg with a barrage of attacks, eventually managing to deliver a fatal strike to the Sith's gut. Dropping to his knees, Draahg simply laughed as he stood back up.

'Impressive,' he laughed as he turned to face Artagesh, 'but I have a secret: I cannot be killed.'

'Shall we test that theory?' Artagesh asked as he attacked Draahg once again, noticing that Jaesa had to resort to using the Force to get Pierce over the fight and get him into the Fury.

Artagesh and Draahg locked lightsabers and held each other in place, proving to each other that they were equal in terms of brute force. Adjusting his grip on his lightsabers, Artagesh broke the lock and drove both of his weapons into Draahg's gut. Ripping them out of his enemy, Artagesh watched as Draahg attempted to stand back up.

'You… are… the luckiest person… in the galaxy,' Draahg growled as he stood back up, clearly fighting the urge to drop back to the ground, 'but Darth Baras will see your luck run out.'

'Don't be stupid Draahg,' Artagesh sighed, 'give up now and I won't kill you.' Draahg charged the Wrath, who quickly jumped over Baras's protégé and pushed him off the platform into the fires below.

'Poor creature,' Jaesa gasped in pain as she watched the fight from the entrance of the ship, having just gotten Broonmark aboard, 'of all the ways to die I think burning to death is the worst.'

'Are you okay?' Artagesh demanded, walking up to her.

'I'm fine, master,' the girl replied as they entered the ship.

'Good, because I need you on the bridge.'

Wasting no time, Artagesh led the, clearly very injured, Jaesa, to the bridge where they both sat down, 'Let's hope those lessons with Quinn have paid off,' Jaesa muttered as she slumped into the left hand side chair.

'Detach,' Artagesh ordered, prompting Jaesa to press a series of buttons that disconnected the docking clamps. As Artagesh piloted the ship away from the station, Jaesa said exactly what the zabrak didn't want to hear.

'The scanners are picking up ships,' she explained, 'it's Baras.'

'Then shoot at them,' the Wrath responded, 'hold them off I need to find the fleet so I can input the coordinates for the jump to lightspeed.'

Not wanting the Fury to be destroyed, Jaesa switched her station to combat mode and began to shoot at the fighters. Once the apprentice had destroyed three fighters, Artagesh found the fleet.

'Coordinates locked in,' Artagesh explained as he directed the ship towards their destination.

'Then get us out of here!' Jaesa screamed, prompting Artagesh to pull the lever, sending them into lightspeed.

Relaxing, Artagesh looked to his left and saw that Jaesa really was about to pass out again. Jumping up and rushing over to his apprentice, Artagesh helped her up and led her over to her quarters, where he set her down in her bed.

As the Fury shot towards its destination, Artagesh found himself sitting on his bed watching over Vette. He had purposely put off speaking with her before, but he wasn't going to be able to put it off for much longer. Stroking Vette's forehead, Artagesh walked back to the bridge as the Fury came out of hyperspace to be met with the Imperial fleet.

Activating the holocom, Artagesh was met with an Imperial officer. 'This is Lord Artagesh to Vaiken Spacedock,' he stated, 'requesting medical assistance for three humans, a twi'lek, and a talz.

 **I only realised after writing this exactly how freaking long this chapter was. Consider it an apology for refusing to upload more frequently. Please Rate and Review if you enjoyed this and I'll see you whenever.**


	8. In Their Midst

**Okay, I know that this particular portion of the Sith Warrior story has been done to death, but I feel that this particular moment is very important in defining the Wrath's character, so that's why this is here.**

 **Chapter 8: In Their Midst**

Vette p.o.v.

Vette's eyes adjusted to the near blinding light in front of her as she woke from her slumber, finding herself in a completely unfamiliar room.

Rubbing the sleep from the corners of her eyes, and immediately regretting it as her arms were unusually heavy, Vette looked around the room that she was in. Wherever she was, it wasn't the Fury.

A set of monitors dotted the far wall, each with their own incomprehensible layout of numbers and lines on their display. An opaque, glass, door covered the entrance to the room, preventing her from seeing anyone who may be looking at her. A looping beep was emitting from another monitor above her head. Looking, Vette very quickly realised the rhythmic, high-pitched, noise was the machine monitoring her heartbeat, as she noticed a device attached to her index finger.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Vette sat up and found her body immediately regretting the sudden movement as she felt an excruciating pain in her side.

'You really should be taking it a lot slower than that,' chuckled a familiar voice. Looking around, Vette tried to identify the source of her husband's dulcet tone as the door slid open and the zabrak walked in, 'You took quite a beating in your fight with Draahg,' Artagesh explained, 'I'm guessing he thought you weren't worth his lightsaber so he attacked you the old fashioned way.'

'Yeah,' Vette muttered, remembering the encounter, 'that seems about right.'

'Luckily for you, however, you seem to be more-or-less okay,' Artagesh explained, clearly trying to keep his wife positive, 'with the exception of some bruises and a cracked rib, you got away more or less unscathed. Pretty soon you'll be back to full health.'

Vette lightly smiled, happy to hear some good news, but it quickly faded when a more concerning thought came to mind. 'What about the others?' she asked, looking up at her spouse with concern, 'are they okay?'

Artagesh shuffled his feet, proving that Vette was right to be worried. 'Quinn is on his way to making a full recovery,' he explained, 'most of the lightsaber strikes were only minor injuries. Broonmark took a pretty serious beating but, as expected, he's already up and moving,' Vette smirked at the concept of Broonmark being confined to a medbay, raging as he was dropped in a kolto tank to heal, considering that that it was pretty much impossible to get even the smallest amount of kolto on him.

'And the others?' Vette asked, gesturing for him to continue as she knew how badly the others had been beaten up.

'Pierce took some pretty bad hits from a lightsaber,' Artagesh explained, trying to stay positive, 'but he should be up and moving in about a week or so.'

'That's good,' Vette sighed, somewhat relieved, 'and Jaesa?'

Artagesh didn't respond straight away, which his wife knew was a bad sign, 'Can you walk?' he asked, stepping over to his wife's side and offering his hand, prompting the twi'lek to take it and pull herself to her feet. Allowing her husband to lead her down a medcenter hallway, which was lit like basically every Imperial spaceship in existence, Vette slowly, but surely, pieced together that they were probably on Vaiken Spacedock. After all, when in need of assistance, go to the Fleet. Or the Citadel on Dromund Kaas. Either one.

As Artagesh led her down the hallway, Vette looked into several other wards, seeing Quinn sitting up in his bed, Broonmark pacing his ward, clearly ready to leave, and Pierce lying on his back, wrapped in bandages, awake, but not exactly moving.

After walking past Pierce's ward, Artagesh stopped outside the next ward and paused, turning to face his wife, 'Jaesa will hopefully be okay,' he explained, not really helping his wife relax. 'She only got hit by Draahg's lighsaber once, but it was pretty devastating, she's lucky she didn't instantly die from it.'

'Not making me feel better,' Vette groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in disbelief.

'Sorry,' the zabrak sighed before leading her into Jaesa's ward, where she was met with the sight of an unconscious human female rigged up to several machines.

'Aside from the hit that she took from Draahg, her stab wound from Belsavis had reopened, making her lose even more blood. Considering that she hadn't waited for the wound to seal and had engaged a superior fighter in combat, the pressure built up and she collapsed from sheer exhaustion.' Vette walked up to Jaesa, unable to take her eyes off her friend as she slipped her hand from Artagesh's grasp.

'She should be fine,' Artagesh promised, resting his hand on Vette's shoulder, 'but I doubt she'll wake up for a while.'

Vette nodded slightly before turning back to Artagesh, 'How're you holding up?' she asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

Artagesh smiled, 'I'm fine,' he reassured her, gripping her forearms, but refusing to make eye-contact with her. 'Don't worry about me.'

Vette looked at the zabrak, having learnt to recognise when her husband wasn't being honest, 'Artagesh,' she began, scowling at him, 'tell me what's wrong.'

Artagesh rolled his eyes, 'Nothing physical, Vette, Draahg is nowhere near as good as me.'

Vette set her hand on Artagesh's face and turned him towards her, 'What's wrong? You can tell me.'

The zabrak sighed, looking away, 'I can't stand to look at you, Vette,' he explained, 'Jaesa told me what happened after Quesh… what I said to you…'

'Look, Artagesh,' the twi'lek quickly interjected, desperate, 'I'm sure you're upset… but you saved my life, and I've forgiven you. So please, can we just move on?'

Artagesh stared at his wife, dumbstruck, before smiling with relief, 'Alright then,' he sighed, wrapping his wife in his arms and hugging her close, 'moving on it is.'

Vette smiled, hugging him back, 'Good.'

A light on Artagesh's gauntlet beeped, prompting the Wrath to growl, 'I wonder who _**that**_ is?' Artagesh sighed, releasing his wife, 'we'll have to finish this later.'

Vette smiled, 'Hey, I'm not going anywhere.' Artagesh smiled before walking out the ward and back down the hallway, leaving Vette to pace outside the wards of her friends.

* * *

Artagesh p.o.v.

'Where have you been, Wrath?' Servant One demanded the second he and Servant Two came up on the Fury's holoterminal.

'Calm down Servant One,' Artagesh calmly replied, staring the Emperor's servants down, 'it's been two days.'

'Two days that could have been used serving our Emperor,' the pureblood spat, 'instead you've been loitering on the fleet's station for no apparent reason.'

'I've been on the fleet because Baras's lapdog found us on Hoth and nearly killed my crew,' Artagesh groaned, rubbing his forehead, 'do you not understand that?'

'A hindered wrath is no wrath at all,' Servant Two droned, in his usual cryptic tone.

'You have wasted enough time on the Fleet,' Servant One yelled. 'We think we have located our emperor,' he announced, 'we believe Baras has imprisoned our master on the planet Voss. It was only discovered recently, and the Republic and Empire have been engaged in a political struggle to convince the planet's neutral natives to ally with them. The emperor invaded the world before… now he has returned, and we believe Baras had something to do with it.'

'So,' Artagesh interrupted, 'you want me to go to a backwater planet, which I've never heard of, leave my crew unattended and go looking for the Emperor because of a _**hunch**_?'

Servant One chuckled, 'It's not a hunch,' he insisted, 'our emperor is on Voss, and you will free him from Baras's prison.'

Artagesh sighed, 'What about my crew?'

'They're stabilised, are they not?' he asked. Artagesh nodded, 'Then they will be fine. You do not need them to free our lord, for you are his Wrath.'

Artagesh looked at the floor in frustration, when a call came up on his gauntlet, 'Yes?'

'Hey, it's me,' came Vette's voice.

'Is there a reason you're calling on our personal frequency?' he asked mischievously.

'Because I just got out of bed and I can't be bothered walking to the ship,' she explained, prompting Artagesh to roll his eyes.

'What is it?'

'Look, I can't guarantee this frequency is secure,' Vette replied, 'meet me back in my ward, and I'll tell you everything.'

Artagesh raised his eyebrow, despite the fact he knew his wife couldn't see him, 'Alright, I'll be there soon,' he promised before shutting off his comlink. He turned back to the Emperor's Hand, 'Sorry guys, lady's calling, gotta go.'

'Do not waste time, Wrath,' Servant One demanded, 'get to Voss as soon as possible.'

'Unleash our master from the mortal plane,' Servant Two exclaimed, prompting Artagesh to shut off the console.

'Those two are freaking weird,' he sighed before walking off the ship and towards Vette's ward.

* * *

Vette p.o.v.

'What is it, Vette?' Artagesh inquired the second he walked back into his wife's ward, prompting the twi'lek to look up from the astromech she had positioned in the corner.

'White noise for five minutes, then leave,' she ordered it, turning to her husband.

'White noise?' Artagesh asked with a raised eyebrow, 'what's going on?'

Vette looked around to make sure no one was listening before turning back to her husband, 'Listen, 2V mentioned it the other day, but I thought he was just being paranoid,' she explained.

'What?' Artagesh interjected, much to his wife's annoyance, 'what did he mention?'

'I was getting to that,' Vette groaned, rolling her eyes. 'Okay, while you were on Belsavis, 2V said to me that he believed he had started detecting messages on an unrecognised frequency, seemingly originating from Baras.'

'Right?' Artagesh nodded, not sure he was liking where this was going.

'Now, because we were on Belsavis, and Baras was looking for his sister there, I'd brushed it off as 2V detecting Baras messaging one of his followers. But I did a little digging just then, since I quickly got bored, and I found something odd…'

Vette held up her holocom and pressed a button, bringing up an image of Baras. 'Keep an eye on the child, he is delusional, believing himself to be the Emperor's Wrath,' the recording ordered, followed by a pause.

'What happened?' Artagesh asked, confused by his former master's pause.

'The recording didn't pick up the other end of the call,' she explained, turning her attention back to the hologram.

'We will need to move up our timetable,' Baras explained, folding his arms, 'if we don't act fast, my former apprentice will fool the Dark Council into believing his will is the emperor's. And we both know that mine is the true will of the emperor.'

'Lying prick,' Artagesh growled through gritted teeth.

'Quiet,' Vette insisted.

'Delay the Wrath as much as you possible,' he ordered, 'kill him if you must, but just remember that you _**cannot**_ underestimate him.' The hologram flickered and vanished, leaving Vette and Artagesh staring at an empty holocom.

'We need to find out who Baras's mole is,' Artagesh insisted, turning to the door 'but at the same time, I need to get to Voss.'

'Why?' Vette asked, turning her husband back around to look at her.

'The Hand seems to think that I'll find the emperor there,' the zabrak explained, 'and I have no reason to not go.'

'I'll come with,' Vette announced.

'No,' Artagesh demanded, 'you're the only person on this station I can trust, anyone here could be working for Baras. I need you to stay here and try to find them.'

Vette sighed, 'I'll do my best then,' she replied, wrapping her arms around Artagesh and kissing him passionately. Artagesh separated him from her, knowing he was wasting time.

'I'll be back as soon as possible,' he promised, turning and walking out of the room, leaving Vette alone. Not long after, Vette saw the flash of the Fury's engines reach flash into her ward's windows, letting her watch as her husband flew into the depths of space.

* * *

 _2 days later…_

Vette lay on her bed, tossing and turning.

Two days of intently watching her monitor for any sign of unauthorised communication, only to be met with an immense feeling of frustration and disappointment.

Whoever Baras's spy was, they had been keeping awfully quiet recently, as if they knew she was looking for them.

Artagesh had been gone for a grand total of sixty hours by that point, without even so much of a holo to tell her he was okay. The twi'lek had considered calling him on multiple occasions, but the last thing she wanted was to call him when he was in the midst of some sort of epic battle in some ancient temple, or something, so she always talked herself out of doing it at the last moment.

Vette lay on the uncomfortable medcenter bed, trying to think of any way she could possibly track a traitor's communications, considering any of her underworld contacts who might actually know how to track untraceable communications.

While taking her thoughts through every potential candidate from Nok Drayen's crew, Vette remembered Risha, and her underworld contacts.

Smiling from the revelation, Vette rolled off the bed and activated her holocom, trying to remember Risha's holofrequency, wondering if she had ever changed it.

'Please have the same frequency,' she breathed as she dialled it in, 'please have the same frequency.'

Hitting the call button, Vette stood up straight, waiting for her friend to come up on the communicator, only to be met with disappointment when she was met with static.

Groaning, Vette put away her holocom before flopping back onto her bed, letting out a sigh before falling asleep.

* * *

 _Another 2 days later…_

Artagesh p.o.v.

The Voss Mystic was released from Sel-Makor's grasp, as the dark entity roared before retreating deeper within the Dark Heart. Artagesh went to help the Mystic to his feet, knowing the emperor might need his help. 'No,' the mystic said defiantly, 'this body is expiring anyway, you have no reason to aid it.'

Reluctantly, Artagesh stepped back as the mystic struggled to his feet, 'Listen to me, my Wrath,' the emperor rasped, 'you cannot let Baras's claim as my Voice be accepted by the Dark Council. Go to Corellia, disrupt his power, save the one on the Council who defies him. My Hand will be able to explain the rest.'

'I have a couple things to take care of first,' Artagesh explained, crossing his arms, 'I have reason to believe that Baras has someone on Vaiken Spacedock looking for me. I need to find them before they can threaten my crew.'

The emperor chuckled, 'Your feelings for your slave are wasted,' he laughed, 'there are so many in the galaxy, who are much more powerful than her, who would willingly take her place.'

'Look, do you have any idea who Baras's mole on Vaiken Spacedock is, or shall I just kill the mystic now?' the zabrak demanded.

The mystic shook his head, 'I don't know who threatens you on the Spacedock, my Wrath,' he explained, 'but I fear they're closer to you than you think… now… strike me down, so that I may be reunited with my Hand.'

Artagesh wasn't normally one to kill an unarmed man, but he had grown tired of listening to the emperor ramble on, 'It's not every day you get to kill an emperor,' he noted, as the orange blade of his lightsaber unveiled itself, before he brought it down on his emperor.

* * *

 _1 hour later…_

Before Artagesh could board the Fury, he was annoyed to be met by the vision of a mystic that he had met earlier, named Madaga-Ru.

'You have done surprisingly well, Sith,' the Voss noted, walking up to the zabrak. 'I have come to tell you… I have recently experienced a vision, one about you.'

Artagesh rolled his eyes, having quickly grown tired of Voss visions, 'And?'

'In my vision, I saw you on some sort of station, you stood strong, weapons drawn, as mechanical monstrosities approached you, aiming to end your life,' he explained, 'and while I cannot see their face, I can, without a doubt, confirm that someone close to you plans your demise.'

'One of my crew?' Artagesh asked, his curiosity piqued, 'who?'

'The vision ends,' the mystic explained, much to the zabrak's frustration, 'you must be the interpreter.'

'This is not news to me Madaga-Ru,' Artagesh sighed, 'is that it?'

'I'm afraid so,' the Voss replied, 'if I knew more, I would tell you, but unfortunately, that is all.

'Now, leave this world, and remember that I consider you an ally. But do not call upon me again.' Without another word, the vision of the mystic disappeared, and Artagesh was left alone in his ship's docking bay.

Rolling his eyes at the cryptic nature of the Voss, Artagesh turned on his heel and walked onto the ship, instantly dialling his wife's holofrequency, without even considering the Hand.

'Vette, come in,' he called as his twi'lek wife appeared before him, 'how's the crew?'

Vette smiled, 'Everyone's up and moving Artagesh,' she announced, 'we're all ready to get back on the Fury.

'Good,' Artagesh replied, letting his smile show, 'make sure they're ready to board on my arrival, we're heading straight to Corellia.'

'You got it,' Vette replied, shutting off the call. Artagesh had refused to bring up the topic of the traitor, as he didn't want to risk them figuring out that they were on to them. Wasting no more time, the zabrak set the ship's coordinates for the spacedock.

* * *

 _Later…_

Artagesh had only just docked at the space station when he heard Broonmark charge aboard the ship and let out a roar that probably translated to "If I never have to go on that stupid spacestation again, it'll be too soon!" Artagesh rolled his eyes as he walked out into the ship's central room, to be met with Quinn marching aboard, a bandaged Lieutenant Pierce in tow.

'How're you holding up Pierce?' the Wrath asked, ensuring his façade was up to hide his suspicions to his soldiers.

'I'll live,' the lieutenant grunted, walking over to the couch and flopping onto it, 'ready to get to Corellia and smash some Republic grunts.'

Quinn appearing at Artagesh's side, 'This is the most exercise he's done since our fight with Draahg,' he explained, 'how was your mission to Voss?'

'Productive,' the zabrak replied, turning to see Vette ensuring Jaesa was able to walk without her. 'Captain,' he called, without looking away from his wife and apprentice, 'bring the Hand up on the holo.'

'Right away, my lord,' Quinn replied, hurrying over to the holoterminal, leaving Artagesh to wander over to the ladies.

'You feeling better Jaesa?' Artagesh asked, looking to his apprentice with concern, 'you were more than a little out of it before.'

'Vette told me, master,' she replied, weakly smiling, 'I'm fine now.'

'Good,' he replied, turning to Vette, 'leave us Jaesa.'

Jaesa smirked, 'Of course, I'll leave you alone.' Jaesa wandered over to the holoterminal, leaving Artagesh to wrap his wife in a hug.

'Do we have any idea who the spy is?' she whispered.

Artagesh looked around to ensure no one was looking at them before speaking, 'A mystic on Voss told me it was one of us,' he explained, causing Vette to pull out of the hug and stare at him.

'Are you sure?' she whispered, looking over to the crew standing at the holoterminal, 'that can't be right, no one here would never betray you!'

'How do we know?' Artagesh demanded, 'in reality Vette, how much do we _**really**_ know about them? Quinn mentioned on Balmorra that Baras had saved his career, Pierce is a loyal soldier who hasn't really been on the best of terms with us recently. Broonmark might give any excuse to tear me apart, after all, I've been denying him his desire to cause mass bloodshed, and Jaesa… who's to say Baras hasn't been playing mind games with her?'

Vette looked back at her husband, 'I just can't believe that one of our own is plotting against you,' she hissed, 'it just doesn't make sense!'

Artagesh pulled his wife into a kiss, 'I know,' he admitted after parting his lips from hers, 'but for now…' Artagesh released Vette from the embrace and walked over to the holoterminal, 'Bring up the Hand, Quinn, now!'

'Of course, my lord,' the captain quickly replied, dialling the Hand's holofrequency.

'Well done, Wrath,' said Servant One, 'the Emperor is back with the Hand, recovering from his imprisonment. Now, onto more important business: Darth Vowrawn, a member of the Dark Council, is leading Imperial forces on Corellia, and is the only member of the Council who denies Baras's claim of being the Emperor's Voice. Baras wants him eliminated. You are going to protect him.'

'Very well,' Artagesh replied, 'anything else?'

'We'll brief you fully once you arrive on Corellia,' Servant One explained, 'be swift, however, as Baras's forces are already on the move.' Servant One didn't even wait for Artagesh's response, as the communication was closed before he could even comment.

'My lord, I'm afraid we cannot reach Corellia at this time,' Quinn explained before Artagesh could give any orders.

'Why not?' the Wrath demanded, turning to the captain.

'Baras has established a martial law over Corellia, any ship that isn't transmitting the correct signal will be fired upon in seconds.'

'I've never heard of a procedure like that before,' Pierce commented, stroking his chin.

'It's a new procedure,' the captain explained, 'Baras only implemented it recently.'

'So how do we transmit the correct signal?' Artagesh asked, crossing his arms.

'I've located one of Baras's cruisers, patrolling the outskirts of the Core Worlds. It has the signal emitter that we'll need if we're going to get past Baras's martial law.'

'Chances are they won't be willing to give it up,' Pierce noted, 'they won't go down easy, a lot of our fellow soldiers are going to die.'

Artagesh turned to the lieutenant, nodding slightly in approval, 'I tend to agree with the lieutenant,' the zabrak agreed, 'is there no way we can avoid conflict with the crew on the ship?'

Quinn pulled out his datapad and pressed some keys before a hologram came up onto the terminal, 'The ship is using one of the standard designs of the fleet,' he explained, 'however, they've blocked off certain areas, and made adjustments to them. However, I believe I have managed to get my hands of the ship's blueprints, and I think I've found a way for us to get aboard, with as few casualties as possible.'

'Convenient,' Artagesh commented, examining the hologram.

'Quite,' Quinn replied, putting away his datapad. 'It seems that the emergency airlock has almost never been used, and is never guarded,' he explained, pointing out the airlock at the back of the ship, causing the point of interest to turn red. 'If we were to pilot the ship to the emergency airlock, I could guide you through the ship to reach the signal emitter,' he planned, 'just a suggestion… but it would help to expedite things.'

'Of course,' Artagesh decided, 'gather your gear and set a course for this cruiser.'

'Right away, my lord,' Quinn replied, marching off to the bridge as the hologram disappeared off the holoterminal, leaving the rest of the crew to go off on their own.

Vette walked up to Artagesh, watching Quinn walk onto the bridge, 'Be careful,' she whispered into her husband's ear, 'something doesn't feel right about this whole thing.'

'I know,' Artagesh replied, 'why hadn't the Hand mentioned this martial law? It doesn't make sense.'

Vette wandered off to her post, 'Oh well,' she sighed, 'just be careful.' Artagesh was left to watch his wife walk away as he heard the sound of the ship going into hyperspace.

* * *

 _Later…_

The Fury docked at the emergency airlock, allowing Artagesh and Quinn to board the ship, glad to see that they hadn't been detected.

'Vette's outdone herself,' Quinn noted, 'I forgot to mention the ship has very good scanners… not quite sure how didn't notice us.'

'Doesn't matter,' Artagesh replied, walking down the hallway, 'lead the way to the signal emitter.'

'Of course,' the captain replied, pulling out his datapad and examining the map of the cruiser. 'This way,' he instructed, running down the hallway, leaving Artagesh to run after him.

As they made their way through the ship, Artagesh started to feel increasingly uneasy. The duo were almost at the emitter, and they hadn't encountered a single crew member. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside, however, as he accepted that Quinn's navigations skills were simply better than he gave him credit for.

Quinn led the zabrak through the ship, leading the mission into a large, circular, room, where he simply stopped, hands behind his back.

Artagesh looked at him with concern, 'Captain?' he cautiously asked, 'why have we stopped?'

Quinn sighed. 'My lord,' he started in his usual monotonous tone, 'I'm afraid that our paths must diverge.'

Artagesh looked back to see a set of blast doors close behind him, sealing shut. 'I knew the bad feeling I had earlier was justified,' he noted, looking back to Quinn.

'Your intuition has always been on point, my lord,' he sighed, turning around. 'It pains me to say that this entire scenario is a ruse,' he explained, 'there's no martial law, and no special signal emitter… Baras is my true master… he had me lure you here to have you killed.' Artagesh pinched the bridge of his nose, hating himself for not seeing the signs.

'I'm going to give you one chance to stop this and come back to the ship, Quinn,' he explained, 'you know who I work for now. You side with Baras, you side against the emperor himself.'

Quinn dryly chuckled, 'The emperor is an absentee landlord,' he retorted, 'Baras has seen to that.'

Artagesh stared at the traitor in disbelief, 'Why?' he demanded. 'After everything we've been through, why side with him?'

Quinn sighed, a hint of sadness in his tone, 'I didn't want to have to choose between the two of you… but he forced my hand and he saved my career by posting me on Balmorra, so I must side with him,' the captain turned back to the Wrath. 'Once you're gone,' he continued, 'your crew will either join Baras, or be killed.'

Artagesh scoffed at the statement, 'Unlike you, Quinn,' he sighed, 'none of them would even think of siding with Baras.'

'Then they will have to die,' the captain replied, 'it's a shame… I liked most of them.' Artagesh examined the captain's face, recognising the look of regret on his face, and decided to make a move.

'I know you don't want to do this, Quinn,' Artagesh insisted, 'come back to the ship and I can protect you from him.'

As if he realised what the Wrath was trying to do, Quinn hardened his expression, 'No more time to waste,' he claimed, pressing a button on his datapad, opening a set of doors behind him to unveil a pair of six foot war droids, each on four legs

'These war droids have been programmed to combat you,' Quinn explained, 'I've been rigorously examining you in battle and I have made note of your strengths and weaknesses. I predict a zero percent chance of their failure.'

Artagesh shook his head, sighing, 'You always did rely too heavily on the numbers, captain,' he noted, igniting his lightsabers.

'You know me well, Artagesh,' Quinn replied, 'goodbye, my lord.'

Wasting no time, Artagesh raised his hand and sent Quinn flying into a wall before hurling his red lightsaber into the head of the war droid on the left before leaping onto the head of the droid on the right and stabbing his orange lightsaber into its chasis. Pulling his other lightsaber out of the other droid's head, the zabrak stabbed the red blade into the droid's chasis as well, before ripping the blades upwards, cleaving the droid in two.

Quickly darting over to the other droid, not bothering to watch the remains of the first droid crumple to the floor, Artagesh swung his orange lightsaber at the droid's front two legs, sending the top of the droid falling to the ground, before spinning and swinging his red lightsaber upwards, ripping through the body of the droid, before swinging both blades at the droid, leaving Quinn to watch a blur of orange and red as the zabrak ripped the droid into a pile of sparking wreckage.

Quinn grunted as he picked himself upwards, horrified by how easily the Sith had torn his droids apart. Artagesh turned to face the captain before gripping him by the throat and pulling him through the air towards him. Releasing Quinn from his grasp, Artagesh watched the captain drop to the ground and gasp for air. He could feel the rage emanating from him this time, and he didn't care.

'I should have known,' Quinn grunted, 'I thought I had programmed the perfect killing machines for you… I was perfectly precise.'

'Something I thought you knew about me Quinn,' Artagesh growled as he watched Quinn get to his feet, 'I can't be defeated by numbers.'

'I see that now,' the human replied, picking himself to his feet while holding his side. 'I am aware there's no reason to express my deep regret… you were right my lord, I didn't want to do this.'

Artagesh glared at the Fury's captain with pure anger, barely noticing that Quinn had braced himself for the coming beating, 'You had your chance,' he spat before focusing on the captain's neck and sending him flying backwards into a wall again, this time gripping his throat with increased pressure, with the captain levitating halfway up the wall. His eyes glowing in anger, Artagesh dropped Quinn to the floor before dashing over to the captain and punching him in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground as he yelped in pain. There was nothing outside of the room for Artagesh, as he repeatedly punching the traitor in the face, venting every ounce of rage and anger that had built up inside him onto the friend who had betrayed him.

* * *

Quinn p.o.v.

The second he had seen Artagesh's eyes glow red, Quinn had resigned himself to his fate. The force the zabrak was applying to his neck would have been enough to kill him, had he held him in the air for a second longer. Quinn partially wished that he had died then, as he was then faced with the sight of an incredibly powerful Sith Lord storming up to him before relentlessly punching him into submission. Despite his cries of pain, however, Quinn never begged for his life. His actions had gotten him here, and now he'd have to pay for it.

After blacking out, the first thing Quinn felt was a sharp pain, like a needle, in his thigh. Taking a chance, Quinn squinted through his eyes, which felt like they'd been sealed shut, to see the zabrak standing over him, arms crossed, but a look of slight regret in his eyes.

The human was the first to speak, 'Wh- why am I still alive?' the captain gasped, rolling onto his side.

'Because I spared you,' the Sith explained, not bothering to reach out his hand to help the captain up, 'I will keep you alive, and we will see if you earn my trust again.'

Quinn was flabbergasted. He lifted himself into a kneeling position before finding the right words, 'My lord, I…' he stumbled on his words, 'I'm surprised! Darth Baras would never have forgiven me for such a failure.'

'Understand this Quinn,' the Wrath quickly added on, 'I am not Baras. But until you prove to me that I can trust you, I am under no obligation to protect you from him.'

'Of course, my lord,' the captain replied, finally getting to his feet, 'if you permit me to stay in your charge, I promise that my dedication to you will be _**absolute**_.'

'Naturally,' Artagesh replied, turning to walk back to the ship, 'but betray me again, and I won't hesitate to kill you next time.'

'There won't be a next time, my lord,' he swore, 'I promise.'

Artagesh started walking towards the blast doors, forcing them open, 'We'll see.'

As the pair got back to the airlock, Quinn quickly stopped the zabrak, 'My lord,' he called, pulling him to a halt, 'do you intend to tell the others about this?'

Artagesh paused, as if suddenly going into deep thought, 'I'll have to tell Vette,' he explained, 'she was the one who first found out about Baras's mole, so she'll want to know that the situation's been taken care of,' Quinn rolled his eyes, but understood his lord's reasoning. 'But the others… if they knew it would undermine your ability to lead… no, they can't know.'

'Very good, my lord,' not wanting to push his luck any further, Quinn hurried aboard the ship, ready to depart and head for Corellia.

* * *

Vette p.o.v.

Lying on the couch in the central room, Vette looked up from her datapad to see Quinn racing onto the bridge, followed by Artagesh, who was notably angry, prompting Vette to swing her legs over the side. 'Did you get the signal emitter?' she asked, causing her husband to stop in his tracks.

'There wasn't one,' he explained, much to the twi'lek's shock, 'the captain was misled.' The zabrak wandered over to Vette and leaned in to whisper to her, 'I need to tell you something,' he whispered, 'meet me in the bedroom.'

At a request like that, Vette would normally smirk, but she could tell that something was wrong, so she played along with her husband by getting up and walking into the bedroom with him. 'What is it?' she asked as Artagesh shut the door behind him.

'I found out who the traitor was,' he explained, looking down at his feet, 'it was Quinn.'

'What?!'

'Turns out Baras saving his career was enough for Quinn to be forced to manufacture a pair of war droids to try and kill me.'

Vette could only stare at her husband in horror, 'What happened?' she demanded, more than a little worried and tense.

Artagesh smirked, though his wife knew he was putting up a façade, 'I convinced him that he should be more scared of me than Baras… I doubt he'll try to betray me again.'

Vette relaxed ever so slightly as Artagesh wandered over to the bed and lay down, leading the twi'lek to realise he wanted time to think, 'Just… promise me you won't tell the others,' he asked, 'they don't need to know. Vette nodded before leaving their quarters. Shutting the door behind her, Vette wandered up to the bridge, where she saw the captain looking out the ship and staring into hyperspace, probably trying to escape from the realization that he had tried to kill a man who considered him a friend.

Before the captain had even noticed her, Vette had grabbed her by the collar and yanked him out of his chair, throwing him into one of the walls.

'Vette-!' he yelped as the twi'lek drew one of her blasters and pressed it into his abdomen.

'Listen to me very carefully,' she hissed into his ear, 'I promised Artagesh that I would stay quiet about the incident back on the cruiser.' She dug the blaster deeper into the captain's gut, 'But if you so much as _**think**_ about betraying him again, I won't even hesitate before shooting you between the eyes,' she threatened, ' _ **are we clear**_?'

The captain nodded, 'Of course, Vette,' he whispered, 'I'll never try to betray your husband again.'

Without saying another word, Vette pulled her blaster from the captain's abdomen and stormed off the bridge. She needed to be alone for a while, and there were very few places on the ship where she could achieve that status.

 **Rate and Review! There's only one more chapter to go on this story, but I already have some ideas about how I can continue to build this universe. I have some ideas for stories about my other seven characters, so keep an eye out for them!**


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